


Don't Trust Him | Daniel Brühl

by DarkGuardian15



Category: The Alienist (TV)
Genre: Fanfiction, Fantasy, Fluff, Magic, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25428118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkGuardian15/pseuds/DarkGuardian15
Summary: Sage moves to a new town with her best friends. Each one of them are looking forward to starting a new chapter in their lives. Everything seems normal even though the residents of Oakwood seem to really dislike one of their own citizens. That doesn't sit right with Sage, so she decides to investigate why. But could she be making a grave mistake? Maybe she should follow everyone's advice not to trust the man she desperately wants to know more about.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Sage's POV:

I was listening to some music as I finished unpacking my things. Once everything was put away and arranged like I wanted, I flopped down on my bed. A small smile spread across my face even as a flutter of uncertainty made itself known in the pit of my stomach. But of course that was to be expected, especially when you've moved to a town you're not really familiar with. Not to mention the fact that it's my first time living away from my parents. Thankfully I had two of my best friends with me to keep my spirits up even though I'm sure they felt the same way. I sat up on my bed and looked out of one of the windows facing the back yard. 'This place really is beautiful.' I thought inside of my head as I admired the lovely grass lawn, which would be perfect for cook outs and stuff.

The idea of cook outs suddenly made me realize that we desperately need groceries. I stood up and walked into the living room to find my friends figuring out where to place the new furniture. "Hey, I'm gonna head to the grocery store. Is there anything you need me to pick up while I'm in town?" I asked them curiously. "Could you get a pizza for dinner. I don't think any of us really wanna cook tonight." Ash said as she brushed some of her curly, fiery red hair out of her face. "Even if we wanted to we couldn't. All of the cooking utensils are still boxed up." Jay commented as he plopped down on the couch, which was sitting sideways in the room. After making sure they didn't need anything else I said my goodbyes and left. As I drove into town I admired the beautiful scenery. Once I got to the local grocery store I parked my car and headed inside. After grabbing a cart I started filling it with everything we needed.

But I did check the prices just to make sure stuff wasn't over priced. I got meats, fruits, vegetables, snacks, breakfast foods, etc. As I looked at the pasta isle I noticed the noodles I wanted was on the very top shelf and I was too short to reach it. I tried to grab it anyway just to see if I could. "Here, let me get that for you." I heard a male voice say. I turned towards the voice and seen a man a foot or so taller than me. His dark hair was parted in a side swoop sort of style and he also had a beard, which complemented his handsome features. What caught my attention the most was his big brown eyes; they looked so deep and beautiful. "Thanks." I said as he handed me the box of pasta I wanted. "No problem." He replied with a cute little smile. I'm not one to soften or warm up to people as soon as I meet them, but there was just something about this man that made me want to get to know him. It was such a strange and new feeling to me.

"Are you new in town? I... don't remember ever seeing you around." He said, breaking the awkward tension between us. "Yeah, my friends and I just moved in yesterday actually." I replied with a little smile of my own. "Well, it is a nice little town. But I should warn you that news travels fast in places like these." He said. "Oh, I know. I grew up in a small town myself." I said. I suddenly noticed that several other customers were starting to stare and it made me a little uncomfortable. They looked at us like we were committing some kind of crime. It was just really weird and eerie to me. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Daniel by the way." He said as he reached a hand out for me to shake. "I'm Sage. It's nice to meet you too." I replied happily. "Excuse me, Miss. Is this man bothering you?" An older looking man asked me. He was wearing a red polo shirt and khaki colored pants. The little name tag let me know that he was an employee here at the store. In my opinion he kinda looked like some kind of manager.

His random question caught me a little off guard. But I did manage to reply. "No." I dragged out my response and looked at the white haired man with furrowed brows. He accepted my statement, but he gave Daniel a sideways glance before leaving us alone. A moment of silence filled the air and it gave me a strange feeling in my stomach. It felt like forever before I managed to say anything. "That was.... odd." I said with a small awkward laugh.  
Daniel laughed awkwardly as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "This town is odd too. I just wish I could have mentioned that to you before you experienced it." He said with a large smile that I couldn't help but to return. Eventually we said our goodbyes and I continued shopping. By the time I was finished he had already left and I kinda hoped I'd get to meet him again.

Once I made sure I got everything I walked into one of the check out lines. Thankfully I didn't have to wait because no one else was ahead of me. I placed my items on the conveyor belt and the cashier scanned them before placing them in bags. "You know, you should really stay away from him. He's bad news." The cashier said to me. There was a seriousness in her hazel eyes that made me furrow my brows. "Stay away from who?" I asked. "Daniel, that man you were talking to. He might seem nice and everything but don't trust him." She said. I wanted to ask why, but a couple customers in the line beside of me agreed with her. 'What the hell?' I thought as I paid for the groceries and hurried out to my car. 'Why can't I trust him? What did he do or what does he do?' I wondered as I loaded everything into the vehicle. I put my cart back into the store before leaving. I sat in the parking lot and ordered a pizza from a nearby pizzeria to take home.

I decided to listen to music to keep my thoughts in the back of my mind as I drove. When I pulled into the driveway I shut the radio off before parking. Jay came out and helped me take the bags of groceries inside. As soon as everything was put away we sat at the small kitchen table and ate. I noticed that him and Ash managed to get the furniture situated the way they wanted. It looked really nice. "The cable and internet company said they'd be able to come tomorrow afternoon and hook everything up. So one of you will have to stay home." Ash said before taking a second slice of pizza. "Don't worry, babe. Sage and I can hold down the fort while you're at work. When the internet is up and running I can upload that moving vlog I filmed." Jay replied. When we finished eating I helped put the silverware, dishes, etc in their respectable places. After that it kind of seemed to sink in that this place was ours. Our very first home. Everything wasn't perfect yet, but we just moved in and that was normal.

We sat down on the couch and we agreed to watch a movie since Jay had the tv and stuff already hooked up. When the film ended we all said goodnight to each other. I made sure the house was locked up before going into my room. Instead of going straight to bed I decided to read. Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr was my book of choice. I ended up reading a few chapters before officially getting ready to go to sleep. I changed into my pajamas, which consisted of an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Even though it was kinda cool I still turned my fan on, just because I literally can't sleep without it. Then I climbed into my bed and snuggled under the covers. It took me a while to fall asleep just like last night but I knew it would get easier with time. I hadn't realized I even went to sleep until I woke up to the sound of a crow squawking outside.

I rubbed the sleep out if my eyes and also realized that it was raining. The light tip tap of rain drops on my window had caught my attention. After stretching I went into the bathroom to take a quick shower and get dressed. Then I walked into the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. Ash left a little note on the fridge to tell Jay and I to have a good day. 'I hope she has a good day at work.' I thought inside of my head. I started brewing a pot of coffee before I got the eggs and bacon put of the fridge. After a while Jay eventually came out of him and Ash's room. He was still wearing his pajamas and his black hair was sticking up in odd directions. I figured the smell of food is what had inspired him to get out of bed. He grabbed a mug from one of the cabinets and poured himself some coffee. "So, what are your plans for today?" He asked in a sleepy sounding voice as he put milk in his coffee. "I was thinking about going and getting a desk and a couple bookshelves today." I said. "I'll have to get a desk too. Especially if I want to start uploading videos and live streaming." He said as he rubbed his tired blue eyes.

"Does it matter what kind of desk it is? I can see if they have what you need if you're going to stay and wait for the guys to set up the internet and tv." I said as I finished up cooking breakfast for us. "No, it's okay. I'll probably have to end up ordering what I need anyway. Thanks though." He said with a small smile. The two of us ate as we made small talk. When we were finished I decided to wash the dishes while he took a shower. Then I went into my room to figure out where I was going to put my bookshelves and desk. My room wasn't really small, but it wasn't big either. So I really had to think about where I was going to put everything. After I made up my mind I grabbed my keys and made sure to tell Jay that I was heading out. 'Hopefully they have what I'm looking for.' I thought inside of my head. If all else fails I knew I could order stuff just like my friend had said.

I listened to the radio as I drove into town. The only options I have are Wal-Mart and antique shops since it's a small town, but I didn't mind. I parked the car and then headed in to look around. I didn't really find what I wanted in Wal-Mart, but I did find some early Halloween decorations that they were putting out. I even decided on buying some; I got some orange, purple, and green string lights to put in my room. Once I treated myself with some Halloween festivities, I bought what I had found and went to an antique store. To be honest I was almost convinced that I wasn't going to find anything I liked, but then I spotted a beautiful wooden desk. It looked like it could have been hundreds of years old. "Can I help you with anything today Miss?" A male voice caught my attention. I turned to see an employee standing a few feet away from me. He was tall with black curly hair and green eyes. "Yes, I was wondering how much this desk is." I replied. I was a little surprised when I found out how cheap the desk actually was, especially since it was in such good condition.

I told him I'd take it and asked for assistance in finding a couple of bookshelves which I also liked. "Would you like them delivered, or do you have a truck to take them with you today?" He asked me curiously as he rung everything up on his cash register. "Delivery please." I said. At that moment I kinda hoped at least one of us owned a pickup truck just so I didn't have to pay extra money, but it is how it is. Once everything was finalized he gave me a receipt that also had the date that my things would be delivered. When that was all taken care of I decided to message Jay and see if he wanted me to bring him something home for lunch. He told me he'd just make himself a sandwich but thanked me for asking anyway. Since I was hungry I stopped by a little cafe that was in town and grabbed a bite to eat. I had a sandwich and a pumpkin spice latte. 'Maybe I can bring my friends here sometime. I'm sure they'd like it.' I thought inside of my head. I really loved the way this place looked; it was like stepping back in time to the eighteen hundreds.

On my way back to the car I spotted a store that caught my eye. It didn't look like the kind of place you'd normally find in a small town like this. Especially since there were tarot cards, a crystal ball, and other magical looking items on a table in the display window. The words Broomstick & Candle was printed in the glass in a thick yet elegant frosted styled lettering. An open sign was hanging in the door, so I decided to go in and look around. A little bell above the door sounded softly as I entered. The place was dimly lit and the smell was quite unexpected but pleasant. It smelled like tea leaves mixed with a faint hint of grass and a floral scent I couldn't quite put my finger on. I noticed that there wasn't anyone standing next to the cash register. 'There's probably someone in the back or something.' I thought inside of my head. As I walked deeper into the shop I was amazed at how beautiful everything was.

Velvet table cloths were covering every flat surface in purple, burgundy, and deep blue. Each cloth were embellished and embroidered in either gold or silver. Candles were scattered all around; some were in holders and others weren't. Various gemstones and crystals reflected the light from the little lighting that was available. Most of which was coming from Edison styled light bulbs that were screwed into a gothic/rustic chandelier that was barely visible due to the high shelves. There were specimens underneath bell jars and a wide expanses of books on potions, spells, and everything in between. It felt like I had been transported into the Harry Potter universe. 'What's a store like this doing in a town like this? Most small towns don't accept people who are different, and this certainly qualifies as different.' I thought as I kept looking at everything. It felt like I had to keep my head on a permanent swivel to do so. I stopped when I reached a glass case containing jewelry. Everything looked so beautifully and elegantly designed.

"May I help you?" An female voice said, causing me to jump a little in surprise. "Forgive me Miss, I didn't mean to startle you." She said with an apologetic look on her face. She was dressed in a black Victorian dress and her hair had a sort of blue tint to it even though it looked black in certain ways. Her blue eyes looked as if they were almost glowing in the dim lighting of the store. "It's okay. I was just looking around." I replied with a small smile even though my heart was still hammering away in my chest. "Beautiful, aren't they?" She said, referring to the rings I was looking at. "Yes, they are." I replied. We stood there looking at the display case for what felt like forever, but I wasn't quite sure what to say. Thankfully she took care of that for me. She asked if I was new in town and I told her that I was. "I figured. We don't many new visitors here. Just the usual locals that I'm use to seeing on a regular bases." She said with a small smile. By now my heart had returned to it's normal beating rhythm.

Eventually I decided to ask her if I could try a couple of rings on, and she retrieved a keyring from her dress pocket. The keyring was cluttered by all different shapes and sizes of keys; I was surprised she even knew which key was what. But I guess she used them so much she had what each one went to memorized. I ended up buying two of the four rings I tried on. One was a silver ring with a black onyx gem. The silver part of the ring was engraved and kind of reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. The other was silver too, but it was made as if bird wings were wrapped around your finger when you had it on. "Very good choices. Would you like me to put them in a bag or would you like to just wear them out of the store?" She asked as I paid for the rings. "I think I'll just wear them." I replied with a small smile. She handed me her shop card and wished me a good day. I wished her a good day also before leaving the shop and finally deciding to head home.

When I got to the house I learned that the tv and internet had been hooked up successfully. I told Jay about the Broomstick & Candle shop I went to and showed him the rings I bought. I also told him that I managed to find some bookshelves and a desk for my room. "You'll have to take us there this weekend." He said, looking excited. I was glad he was interested in going out to explore the town we were now living in. The two of us watched some tv before I started making dinner. I thought it would be nice for Ash to come home from work and not have to cook for us. After today I had a feeling that I was going to really like it here, especially since they had such a cook shop like the one I bought my rings from. I did want to put up the Halloween decorations I got, but I figured I should wait until I got everything set up and finalized in my room before I started decorating. 'It's going to be fun living here.' I thought as Ash pulled into the driveway.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	2. Stay Away

Sage's POV:

A week passed before my bookshelves and desk were delivered. Jay ended up helping me get them into my room, which I was thankful for. Last weekend we managed to go out and have lunch at that cafe I found. I even took my friends to look around the antique store as well as the Broomstick & Candle. Ash ended up buying some figurines and stuff to decorate the living room with at both places. Even Jay managed to find a desk that he thought would suit his YouTube streaming needs, but it wasn't set to arrive until Friday. "Thanks for the help." I said once everything was positioned where I wanted. "No problem. I think I'm gonna film a video, so if you need any help I'll be in the back yard." He said. After he left my bedroom I started organizing my bookshelves. My shelves weren't really fancy like those color coordinated ones some people have. I just keep authors books together and make try to keep certain books in certain groups such as mystery, horror, poetry, fantasy, autobiography, etc. Not that I own many autobiographies. When I was finished with that I placed some of my funko pop figures near the books they were associated with.

I placed my mad hatter one near my Alice in Wonderland books and so on. When I was finished I stepped outside to see that Jay had finished the video he was filming. "I think I'm going to check out the attic. You wanna come with me?" I asked him curiously. "Um... no thanks. I have low-key fear of attics, but I'll stay on the second floor of you need me." He said with wide eyes. I didn't know he had a fear of attics, but I guess you really don't know people's fears unless they are presented with the opportunity to talk about them. "Okay." I replied. He grabbed his laptop as he and I walked up the hardwood stairs that matched the floors. Here there was one bedroom and a bathroom, which was decided to be the guest bedroom if we got any visitors. It was just easier for us to stay in the downstairs bedrooms. At the end of the hallway there was a wooden door that wasn't painted; it kind of looked like it was made out of fruit wood. Jay sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall before opening his laptop to edit his video. I turned the doorknob and opened it to find a second set of wooden steps that lead to the attic, aka the third floor of the house.

In a way it wasn't really an attic, but it is because it's just one large room. When we were first looking at the house we agreed that the attic would be mine since I'd need a space for my work. I also understand now why Jay didn't want to use it for his office, because of his fear of attics. And I remember Ash saying that it felt creepy to her when we first saw it. In a way it all worked out, because I personally found the room kind of charming. A couple of the steps creaked as I walked up them and approached another unpainted door made from the same wood as the last. I opened it and entered the dusty room. It was very quiet and peaceful in my opinion. The room was well lit with natural lighting due to the amount of windows that were in here. I could see every angle of the property depending on which window I looked out of. The only item left behind from the previous owners was a heavy wooden desk. It was the very first think you saw when you entered the room. It was facing a window on the far side of the house, which overlooked the backyard. 'I'll have to do some cleaning before I move anything up here.' I thought inside of my head.

I headed back downstairs and told Jay that he didn't have to sit on the floor, because the attic wasn't dangerous like he obviously expected. He walked downstairs with me and sat on the couch to continue editing his YouTube video. I grabbed a broom and some other cleaning supplies before heading back upstairs. As I cleaned I listened to some music and I made sure to open up the windows to let in fresh air. But I still ended up having a sneezing fit regardless. When I was finished I examined the desk and opened a few drawers. One of them was locked, which peeked my interest. 'I wonder what's in there.' I thought as I wondered how I could possibly open it. I made a mental note to ask Ash if she had any kind of desk key or something that the realtor agent might have given to her. I pressed my curious thoughts aside and went into my room to bring up my boxes of art supplies. Surprisingly I was able to get everything up there in my own without making a mess. I put my plastic set of drawers next to the desk that was there for easy access. Then I had to organize my paints and whatnot in the drawers because I had to empty them out when we moved. I set my little paintbrush holder on the desk, which I made out of clay when I went to high school.

It's just like a desk pen/pencil holder, but I use it for my brushes instead. I put my many sets of colored pencils, pens, watercolor paints, etc away as well. By the time I was finished it was lunch time. I shut my music off and washed my hands in the second floor bathroom. When I reached the kitchen I noticed that there was stuff on the counter to make sandwiches. "I didn't know if you wanted turkey or ham, so I just grabbed both." Jay said as he stood there and make his own sandwich. "Thanks. I think I'll have turkey." I replied with a small smile. "I was going to come up and tell you it was lunch time but I'm glad you came down on your own." He said, which made my smile widen. When we finished making lunch we sat at the kitchen table and ate. He asked me what I was doing up in the attic and I told him. I was excited to get back to work and I think he could see that. I just hoped people here like the things I paint. After we were finished eating I asked Jay if he wanted to go for a little drive, but he said he wanted to film a few more videos. So I went out on my own. I was in search for inspiration for paintings and stories. Not that I have a publisher or anything.

I have always had a dream of being a writer as well as a painter. Maybe some day I'll write something that catches the attention of someone who's willing to get my story out there. As I drove to the town park I couldn't help but notice that the leaves had turned a little more since the last time I went out and about. When I reached my destination I parked my car. There were a few people walking their dogs at the park. Some were drinking coffee and reading newspapers on benches. Other than that there wasn't much activity going on, and I figured that was because the kids were in school. If it were summer I imagined the place to be crawling with children playing and laughing. The brilliant blue sky was speckled with fluffy white clouds and a nice cool breeze was rustling the leaves. It was just really relaxing. When I reached a little pond I spotted two mallard ducks, a male and female, floating on the water's surface. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I watched them. Occasionally they'd dip their heads under to eat a few bugs and whatnot.

"Sage... is... is that you?" I heard a vaguely familiar sounding voice say. When I looked around to see who was speaking, I spotted a somewhat familiar face as well. Daniel, the man I met at the grocery store was standing a few feet or so away from me. "Oh, hi." I said with a small smile. "How have you been? Are you getting settled into your new home alright?" He said as if we were old friends. And in an odd sort of way it felt like we were. "I've been good. Yeah, I've been settling in fairly well actually. So are my friends." I said. "What about you? How have you been?" I asked curiously. "Alright I guess." He said with a shy little laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. My smile widened a bit at how his laugh made my insides feel warm. 'You do remember that people warned you not to trust him right?' I suddenly thought, and a pang of anxiety suddenly washed out the warm feeling me had made me feel. I also felt bad for leaving people imprint an impression on someone I don't even know on me. 'Maybe he isn't bad. Maybe those people at the store just don't like him for some stupid personal reasons.' I thought, trying to convince myself to for an opinion on him on my own.

A few moments of silence passed between us as we both turned our attention on the ducks that were nearby. We turned to look at each other slowly and he opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance to speak. "HEY! YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!!" A loud booming male voice said, which startled the both of us. So much so I even moved a little closer to Daniel as if he would protect me. Then I saw a tall man with a bald head walking towards us. He looked like he ate nails for breakfast, which made me ten times more nervous than I was when he yelled in our direction. "DID YOU HEAR ME!?!" The man hollered once more. "It's okay. We were just talking. He wasn't doing anything to make me uncomfortable or feel like I'm in danger." I said in an even and calm voice that surprised me. "Yeah, that's because he wants you to feel like you can trust him!!!" The bald man said with fire in his hazel eyes. It was like he hated Daniel with every fiber of his being. I glanced over at Daniel and saw a pained even heart broken expression take over his features. "I... I should go." Daniel spoke in almost a whisper. "Yeah! You should go!!! I don't know how you have the balls to even show your face in this town!" The bald man said aggressively but he was no longer yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Goodbye, Sage." Daniel said with such sadness in his big brown eyes that it hurt my insides. I watched as he slowly walked away with slumped shoulders. "Good fucking riddance!" The bald man said before he walked in the oppose direction. I waited for a few moments before I ran after Daniel. When I finally reached him I was out of breath and it took me a while to get back to normal. "Why did you come after me?" He asked with furrowed brows. Confusion and surprise mixing with the sorrow that was dominant in his expression. "Because you looked so sad." I replied feeling bad for the man. "After what he said I'm surprised you'd even talk to me again." He said as another pained expression took over his features. "I tend to form opinions of people on my own." I said and a very small and very weak smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Maybe I was being stupid. Maybe I should have taken what that guy had said about him more seriously, but my gut and my heart was telling me not to.

It's easy for people to paint a horrible picture of someone with rumors and falsehoods. And it's easy for others to go along with the image that has been constructed, because it means they won't have to question anything. 'Ash and Jay would probably slap you right about now.' I thought inside of my head. My brain was saying stay away while my instincts and my heart were saying the opposite. "So... if I see you in a store you'll say hello to me?" He asked. "Of course I'll say hello to you. I might even start a conversation with you." I said with a smile and he smiled back. We said our goodbyes and I decided to head back home. The whole time I kept thinking if I was doing the right thing. But I knew I had to trust my instincts on this like I've done with everything else in my life. Even if people were obviously angry with him and didn't trust him for some reason. I wanted to find out why that was, but I didn't feel like asking questions would get me and closer to an answer. It was best if Daniel told me himself on his own.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	3. The Locked Drawer

Sage's POV:

Jay made dinner and we ate once Ash came home from work. We asked each other how our days have been and whatnot. "I'm sorry you had a rough day, babe. Come here." Jay said as he wrapped his arms around Ash and kissed her forehead. In my opinion they were the cutest couple ever! "Thanks. I really needed a hug today." She replied after they pulled apart. I offered to wash the dishes so they could spend some time together in the living room. When I was finished I joined them. We watched a few episodes of Parks and Recreation before so remembered the locked drawer I found in the desk upstairs. "Hey Ash, did the realtor give you like a desk key or something when we moved in?" I asked her curiously. She furrowed her brows as she thought and then brightened when something popped into her head. "Actually, yes. She said it went to the desk up in the attic." She said before getting up and going I to her bedroom. When she came back she handed the key I had asked her about. It was small and looked like it was hundreds of years old. The metal was in good condition, but it just looked like it was from a different era.

In all likelihood it probably was from a different era. I thanked her before telling them I was going up to the attic. I just wanted them to k know where I was in case something happened. For the second time that I day I went up two flights of stairs and into what was soon to be my office. The excitement of what could have been locked in the desk seemed to build as I got closer and closer to finding out. 'There's probably nothing but junk in there or something.' I thought inside of my head just so so wouldn't be disappointed. But even that thought didn't calm down my excited heartbeat. I slipped the key into the keyhole of the drawer and turned it; it unlocked with a click and I slowly opened the thing to see what was inside. To my surprise there was an envelope sitting on top of a pile of stuff. 'What the hell?' I thought as I picked up the envelope and examined it. In the same desk drawer there was a silver letter opener, so I used it to carefully open the sealed envelope. Oddly enough it was sealed with red colored wax; the wax was stamped with a strange looking crest as well. There was a letter inside, which wasn't much of a surprise but the contents was.

Dear new home owner/owners,

If you are reading this I probably have met an unfortunate end. I am writing this letter to ask whoever has found it to continue my work. However, you do have a choice. You can fold this letter back up, place it in a newly sealed envelope, put it back into the drawer and lock it back up. Leaving it for the next person or persons to find. But it is your choice and your choice alone. For if you decide to follow this endeavour, I must warn you that it could be very dangerous. Everything you need will be provided in the notebook, newspaper clippings, and photos left behind in this drawer. Good luck and Godspeed.

\- H.C.

Goosebumps spread all over my body and my heart started beating quicker than it had been before. My throat was suddenly dry and it was difficult to swallow. It felt like I was suddenly thrown into some kind of mystery movie or book. I always thought that if something like this were to ever happen to me I'd be excited. I was half right, but I was nervous and scared too. I pulled the desk chair out and sat down on it before reaching inside of the drawer for the things listed in the letter. Everything was there. The notebook, the newspaper clippings, and the photos. The newspaper clippings described an unsolved murder. A woman by the name of Elizabeth Green was found stabbed to death in her home just three houses down from the very one I was sitting in. The thought of a murder happening so close gave me the chills. As I read on I learned that her fiancé Daniel Brühl was suspected as the killer, but the police didn't have any evidence to warrant an arrest. 'Is it the same Daniel that I met in the grocery store and then the park?' I wondered. If the townspeople truly believe that he is responsible for the murder of his then fiancée, that would explain why they dislike him so much.

'It explains why so many people are quick to tell me to stay away from him and not to trust him too.' I thought as I continued to look through the newspaper clippings. Apparently the murder case went cold after a year of investigation. Then I looked at the photographs that were left behind. One of them was of a beautiful woman with long wavy chestnut colored hair and bright blue eyes. On the back of the photo was scrawled Elizabeth Green in blue ink. There were snapshots of her family members, ex boyfriends, etc. My breath caught in my throat when my eyes met a picture of the man I talked to earlier today. Daniel Brühl was written on the back in the same handwriting as the others, and in the same blue ink. He looked the same except in the photo he didn't have a beard and seemed to be glowing. There was nothing but happiness in his big eyes. 'This must have been taken before Elizabeth was killed.' I thought and my heart hurt. I felt so bad for him. I couldn't even imagine living in a town that thought you were the one who murdered someone you love, especially when you're innocent.

I didn't have proof that Daniel was innocent, but guessing by H.C's words he or she believed that Daniel was innocent too. 'But what made this person suspicious enough to do an independent investigation?' I wondered as I reached for the notebook and started reading. Bright sunlight and the sound of birds violently woke me up. I moved a little and realized that I wasn't laying in bed. I was sitting in a chair and my face was laying on a hard flat surface. My body protested to my movements as I sat up and attempted to stretch. Both my neck and back were sore like I had done some kind of hard labor all day yesterday. When I finally regained my senses I peeled a newspaper clipping off of my face. Then I rubbed my tired eyes. It didn't take long for what I had discovered last night to come flooding back to my mind. And it gave me a little bit of energy to get the day started.

After everything was placed back into the drawer I locked it and took the key downstairs with me to my room. I hid it underneath my pillow while I got changed. Then I grabbed a silver chain from my jewelry box to put the key on so I'd have it with me at all times. I tucked the necklace underneath my shirt so no one could see it before heading out into the kitchen. Ash was packing her lunch when I walked in. "I wasn't expecting you to be up so early." She said with a surprise, yet delighted look on her face. "The sun woke me up." I replied with a small laugh and smile. She laughed slightly too as I started brewing a fresh pot of coffee. The two of us actually ended up eating breakfast together, which was nice. We made small talk before she left for work. I made sure the door was locked before she pulled out of the driveway. Then I made a note for Jay to let him know I got up early and I'd probably be working when woke up. I went into my bedroom to sit at my computer and do some research.

I wanted to find out who had lived in this house before and what his or her connection was to Elizabeth Green and or Daniel Brühl. It took me a while to find what I was looking for. I found that H.C. is a man by the name of Horace Craft, Elizabeth's grandfather on her mother's side of the family. 'They mentioned him in the newspapers. He was the one who found her body.' I said inside of my head. I researched a couple other things before heading back up to the attic. Before doing anything I shut and locked the door behind me. I knew Jay wouldn't come in, but having the door closed made me feel safer. I read through the journal that Horace Craft had left behind. When I was finished I realized that he had a suspect in mind before he died, but he didn't write down a name. He just mentioned that one or both of Elizabeth's ex boyfriends were involved. To be honest I didn't blame him for suspecting one of her ex's especially since she was about to be married. But I also noticed that he didn't investigate Daniel's past lovers.

There's a high possibility that it was one of his ex girlfriends who got jealous and murdered Elizabeth. I rubbed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. There was so much information to take in and process that I just needed a break. I decided to listen to some music as I started a new painting. Usually I plan stuff out before putting paint on the canvas, but right now I just needed free will. It was kind of hard to believe that a few days ago I was a normal twenty two year old moving into a new place with my best friends. Now I have to be some kind of detective. Well... I didn't have to, but I knew that I needed to. A part of me wanted to find justice for Elizabeth Green and her family. The sound of my phone getting a notification took me out of my thoughts and my work. I wiped my hands off on some paper towels before seeing who had messaged me.

Jay: Hey, it's two o'clock. I just thought I'd make sure you're okay.

That's when I realized I had skipped lunch. 'I've been up here for six and a half hours.' I thought inside of my head. I really looked at my painting for the first time and was a little creeped out by what I saw. I wasn't able to explain what it was; it just gave off an unsettling feeling that I didn't like. I told Jay that I'd be down in a little bit. I cleaned up and set the canvas aside to let it dry. After making sure the drawer was locked I went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. "I ordered a pizza and left you a few slices." Jay said as he walked into the kitchen himself. "Thanks." I replied with a small smile. I ate and kept quiet as my mind worked. 'I'll have to talk to Daniel soon. Maybe he'll know more than what was left in those notes and stuff.' I thought. "Hey, are you alright?" Jay asked, bringing me back to reality. "What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." I replied with a small smile that he didn't buy. "No you aren't. Something's wrong. Come on, Sage... you know you can tell me anything." He said.

I took a deep breath after finished a slice of pizza and told him what I had found last night. I told him about the murder and how the police tried pinning it on Elizabeth's fiancé. His blue eyes widened in shock but there was something else in them too. It was like he was just as interested in the mystery as I was. "Wait, hold up. Are you telling me you're actually going to try and solve this thing? I mean... like... like Lieutenant Joe Kenda from the show Homicide Hunter?" He said, referring to one of our favorite Investigation Discover channel shows. "Well... wouldn't you? I mean, it would finally mean justice for her, her friends, and her family." I said as I ate third slice of pizza. A moment of silence passed between us as Jay thought everything over in his head. I was expecting him to call me crazy or say that I should go to the police or something like that. But I knew the police wouldn't do anything, not if they have their sights still locked on Daniel as the suspect. "Fine, go ahead. But we're sharing this with Ash, because I'm not letting you put yourself in danger alone." He said with a big smile and I smiled back. Maybe we're crazy or maybe we watch too many true crime shows, but I think it's probably a combination of the two.

Jay and made Ash her favorite meal; smoked salmon with a baked potato and salad. Right off the bat she knew something was up but we tried to play it cool. "So, what is it? What do you have to tell me? Did you guys break something while I was at work?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and that mom look on her face. "No, we um... well... Sage found something in that old desk I'm the attic." Jay started awkwardly. "Oh? What did you find?" She asked, turning to look at me. I glanced over at Jay once before just telling her what I told him. Her gray eyes widened and had the same look as Jay's had when I revealed everything to him. When I was finished she started pacing the living room. She kept asking me questions about the murder as well. "Sage and I were hoping you'd be okay with us investigating this cold case together." Jay said.

Ash suddenly stopped pacing and asked if she could see everything I found. I told her yes and went up to the attic to retrieved everything. She read over the letter Horace had left before looking at the newspaper clippings and photos. "Well... what do you say?" I asked her curiously when she was finished. "We promise we'll try to stay as safe as possible while we look into this case." Jay said, trying to get her to approve of our plans. She nodded silently for a few seconds before speaking. "Alright. You can look into this, but I want to know everything. And I'll try to help as much as I can; maybe someone at work will know something." She said, and I don't think I could have explained how excited I was. At that moment all of the potential danger we could get in was pressed to the back of my mind. I was just happy that something interesting is finally happening in my life. Horace was lucky that three true crime fanatics ended up buying his home. But deep down I had a feeling that luck had nothing to do with it.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	4. Crossing Paths Again

Sage's POV:

"So... what exactly are you going to do? I mean... I you've only met Daniel twice. He doesn't even know that we know about his murdered fiancée." Jay said as I helped him set his desk up in his bedroom. For the past few days he and I have been talking about the stuff I found about Elizabeth Green's murder. Neither one of us really came to any groundbreaking thoughts or conclusions, mostly because we didn't have any evidence. The only way I could find out more is if I got close to Daniel, the man she was engaged to before she was killed. "I'll just have to become friends with him. Besides... he seems like a nice guy." I said and Jay gave me a strange look. "Don't get too close to him though. We aren't entirely sure that he can be trusted; the police suspected him as Elizabeth's murderer after all." He said with a serious look on his face. "Jay, the police always suspects the ones closest to the victim first. That doesn't mean that they're guilty." I said feeling slightly annoyed, but I knew he was right. "I know, I know. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. We promised Ash that we'd be careful after all." He replied and I let him know that I understood.

I didn't want to make my friends upset, especially if I got hurt or something worse. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as we finished setting his desk up. While he was hooking up his computer I pretty much just watched. I didn't want to mess up any of his equipment; he did pay a lot of money for all of it. "I think I'm going to stream a little to let my viewers know things are back to normal." Jay said once he was finished. "Okay. Someone in town bought a couple of my painting. I have to meet them at that cafe we went to so they can pick them up." I said with a deep sigh. "Okay, but be safe." He said with a slight worried look in his blue eyes. "I will." I replied with a small smile. I let him to start his live stream and went up to my attic office to grab the paintings I had to drop off. I wrapped them up to protect them during the journey and then put them in a large bag so they didn't get ruined if it rained. The skies were covered with thick gray clouds, so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. I sent Jay a quick text to let him know I was leaving. After locking the door behind me, I put the paintings on the passenger seat before getting inside my car. During the drive I listened to some music just to keep my mind from wondering back to the murder case of Elizabeth Green.

Marilyn Manson's new song We Are Chaos started playing through the speakers, brightening my mood a little. When I reached the cafe I parked my car and entered the building. I walked towards the back because my customer and I arranged to meet there. "Daniel?" I said in a questioning tone. He turned to face me and his big brown eyes brightened. "Sage?! Are... wait... you're the one I emailed about the paintings?" He asked me with a huge grin on his handsome face. "Yeah I... I guess so." I replied with an amused laugh. I didn't even know he was the one who emailed me, because his name wasn't in the address. Hell, we didn't even exchange names in the email. It was probably a stupid move but it worked out anyway. I just couldn't believe that he and I had been crossing paths so much. 'Maybe it isn't a coincidence though.' I thought inside of my head. 'What it the universe is making us cross paths because justice needs to be done.' I wondered. It probably sounds crazy to anyone who doesn't believe in fate or anything like that. But I always believed that the world works in mysterious ways.

I joined him at the table he was sitting at and handed him the paintings he bought. He looked at them before he gave me the money I told him the paintings cost. "These are really amazing, Sage. They look even better in person. You are a very talented artists." He said happily, which made me smile and blush a little. Complements always embarrass me for some reason. "Thanks. I'm really glad you like them." I replied with a smile. He placed the paintings back in the bag before turning his entire attention to me. "How have you been?" He asked me curiously after little moment of comfortable silence. "I've been good actually. How about yourself?" I said. "I'm okay." He replied. Even though his eyes were bright I could tell there was a sadness swimming around in their beautiful depths. The two of us made small talk and a waitress stopped by to ask if we wanted anything to drink or eat. I ordered a coffee and so did Daniel even though the blond haired woman gave him a less than friendly look. But he didn't seem to really notice and maybe that's because he was use to it. It hurt knowing people treat him so badly, but now I understood why. They all think he killed Elizabeth Green.

"How long have you been a painter?" He asked me curiously before taking a sip of his black coffee. "Ever since I can remember to be honest. I always loved drawing and painting when I was younger so... yeah." I said with a small smile. "It seems like you've always had a love for art then." He said with a smile of his own. I agreed with him, not that I really had to. It was obvious that I loved art and always would. We discussed Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and many more of my favorite artists. "I've been to the Salvador Dali museum in Spain. It's beautiful, you'd absolutely love it there." He said smiling. While we were on the subject of Spain he mentioned that he was half Spanish and half German. Apparently his father was German and his mother is Spanish. I knew he had an accent, but I wasn't sure where it was from; I guess both accents kind of blended together a little. It felt nice talking to him even though people were giving us strange looks. A couple of them looked as if they wanted to say something but they decided against it. I was glad that no one was brave enough to speak up, because I didn't want them to ruin our conversation.

He seemed like all he wanted was a friend and I was determined to be that friend. Not just because I wanted more information from him on Elizabeth's murder, but because I really wanted to be his friend. It wasn't hard to figure out that he didn't have any one else to talk to. When we finished our coffee he insisted on paying even though I offered to pay for my own. I eventually caved and we walked out of the cafe together. People stared as we did but I didn't care. We walked to his car where he placed the paintings he bought from me. "Thank you." He said after he closed his passenger side door. "For what?" I asked with furrowed brows. "For not running away when everyone was telling you to stay away from me." He said with a soft look in his eyes that made me feel warm inside. "I'm not one to follow the rest of society's beliefs. Plus... You seem like a nice guy to me." I said and he gave me a cute little smile that gave me warm fuzzy feelings. "Can... can I maybe... hug you?" He asked shyly and awkwardly. "Yeah... sure." I replied shyly myself. I wrapped my arms around his torso and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He smelled like heaven and I felt so safe with him in that sweet moment.

Sadly we broke the hug after a little while. I guess he didn't want any passers by to yell at us. After what had happened the last time we met I didn't blame him. We talked for a little while before we exchanged numbers so we could text or call each other. I couldn't help the smile that was on my face. Maybe it's because I knew I could talk to him from home if I wanted to. That and it meant that I was actually getting closer to being friends with him. We said our goodbyes and I headed home to find Jay still streaming. He was playing some kind of video game, at least that's what it sounded like. I messaged him to let him know I was back before heading upstairs to my office. I listened to some music and started on a new painting. 'I hope Daniel isn't the only one who ends up buying my artwork.' I thought even though that would be kind of funny in a way. At least I knew he'd appreciate it if he did buy them. After an hour and a half I had to take a break to let the painting dry before I could do anything else. So I decided to clean up a bit. Deep down I wanted to work on the case we were trying to solve, but we really didn't have anything to work with yet.

We didn't know where Elizabeth's ex boyfriends lived; even if we did we couldn't just show up and start questioning them. Neither of us were police officers. Not to mention the fact that it's a small town. If we started asking questions people would start talking, especially for two new comers to be doing the questioning. I washed my hands and walked downstairs to my bedroom to read before I had to start cooking dinner. I cracked open The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr. Since it was a Sherlock Holmes mystery I figured it would stimulate my mind enough to forget about everything else temporarily. After reading a few chapters I closed my book and sat it aside before stepping out into the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" I asked Jay curiously. He just closed the fridge to get a can of Arizona green tea. "Hamburgers would be good." He replied before taking a drink. "Hamburgers it is." I said as I grabbed the meat out of the fridge. I got started on cooking and Jay stuck around in case I needed some help.

"Guess who bought those paintings." I said just to start a conversation. "Who?" He asked. "Daniel." I replied. "Are you serious?" He asked with a surprised look on his face. "Yeah. I was surprised to see that it was him too." I said. Jay wondered if Daniel knew he was buying the paintings from me and I said that he probably didn't. My real name isn't anywhere on the website that I use to sell my artwork. Not even my signature on the paintings would have let him know it was me. But he held the same belief that I did; he didn't think any of this was a coincidence. I ended up putting some fries in oven to go with our hamburgers. When Ash came home we ate and talked about how our days were like we always do. "I was talking to Janice, my co-worker. She said that she was Elizabeth Green's friend. Apparently they're having some kind of annual benefit dinner in her name this Saturday and that's why she mentioned her." Ash said, catching my full attention. Ash didn't get much more information because she didn't want to ask questions and seem nosey or insensitive. I didn't blame her even though I would have preferred if she had found out something more.

"That's tomorrow. Maybe we can go and see what information we can gather from the people who show up." Jay said. "That's not a bad idea." I said after taking a drink of my water. When we were finished eating I washed dishes. I knew if I went to the dinner it might inspire someone to warn me against spending time with Daniel, especially since he probably won't show up. 'Hopefully we can get people to spill the beans on their own without being poked or prodded.' I thought inside of my head. Once the dishes were dried and put away I watched some tv with my friends. Then I went to check my painting before going into my room to do a little writing.

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Thanks for reading!!


	5. Benefit Dinner

Sage's POV:

We took my car to the benefit dinner Ash told us about, but Jay drove. I was sitting in the back seat wondering if this was a good idea. Yes, we needed more information about Elizabeth and the people that were in her life. I just wasn't sure if anyone there would be willing to talk to us. We're three newbies to this town who shouldn't have any idea about the murder. 'Take a breath. Everything will work out... hopefully.' I said to myself as I looked out of the window at the scenery. The music that was playing through the speakers kind of helped calm my nerves. When we reached the fire hall Jay parked the car and we all got out. The place was pretty packed, which didn't help my anxiety. We walked inside where there was a donation box. A young man was standing there. I recognized him from the photos that were left behind in the desk. It was Elizabeth's brother, Eric. He had the same chestnut colored hair as his departed sister and he looked a lot like her too. The only difference was his light green colored eyes. He thanked us for coming as we each put twenty dollars into the donation box. "That's her brother." Ash whispered. Jay and I nodded slightly to confirm her statement.

Then we joined the line that lead to the cafeteria styled kitchen so we could get something to eat. I don't think any of us were really hungry, but we couldn't just show up to a benefit dinner and not eat anything; that would have looked suspicious. Once we got the food we walked over to an empty table and started scoping the place out. I spotted Elizabeth's sister falling to an elderly couple a few tables away. Everyone else I suspected were just townspeople. "Okay, who are we going to talk to? We have to make sure we chose wisely so we don't make ourselves look suspicious." Jay whispered as we ate and tried to look causal. "I'm not sure yet." I replied. A few moments passed and a plump woman with dark curly hair walked up to our table. She started talking to Ash and I learned that the woman was Ash's co-worker, the one who mentioned the dinner. "This is my boyfriend Jay, and this is out best friend Sage." Ash said, introduced us to each other. "It's nice to meet you both." Janice said with a big friendly smile on her round face.

She seemed kind but she also seemed like the person who likes to spread gossip. She'd be great to get information out of but we'd have to let her offer it up on her own. If we started asking her questions then she'd tell everyone we were interested in Elizabeth's murder. I gave my friends a look and they seemed to catch my meaning. Janice was soon whisked away by some other friend. I quietly relayed my opinion to Ash and Jay just in case they wasn't sure what my look actually meant. I wasn't surprised when they said they understood though. "Hey, I know you. You're the one I saw with him a few days ago." I heard a voice say. When I looked around I saw the bald man that yelled at Daniel in the park. "Yeah, I... I recognize you too." I said with slightly furrowed brows. "The name is Ammo." He said as he held out one of his hands for me to shake. I really didn't want to shake his hand, but I did anyway. I didn't want to seem rude even though he was rude to Daniel. After introduction were made he sat down next to me, but he turned the chair the wrong way around before he did so. "Oh, so you're living in 'Crazy Craft's' old home huh?" Ammo said with an amused look on his face.

We all looked at each other with confused looks, which made the other man laugh. "We call him that because he started acting crazy after Elizabeth... passed," He said the last part awkwardly. "He said he knew who killed her and started accusing everyone besides the man who actually did it." Ammo finished his explanation before asking me if Daniel had been bothering me anymore. I lied and said that he wasn't just so he'd leave. "Well, if he ever gives you trouble again just let me know. I work at Earl's Mechanic Shop on main street and I'm usually there at all hours pretty much." He said and I nodded to let him know I understood. I made a mental note about where he worked and his opinion on Horace Craft, Elizabeth's grandfather. Once we were finished eating Jay went to look around to see who he could talk to and so did Ash. I figured they were better off making random conversation than I was, especially since people have seen me with Daniel. While they were acting like they were looking at the items that were being used for a silent auction, I grabbed desert and a cup of coffee.

I just filled my cup with black liquid when I noticed that someone had walked up beside of me. "You're new in town, aren't you? You and your friends?" He asked in a questioning tone. It was Eric Green and I felt a little nervous. I hadn't expected I'd be talking to someone who was so close to her. Maybe even closer to Elizabeth than Daniel even was. "Yeah, we're new." I replied. We walked over to a table and talked as we drank coffee and ate desert. We introduced ourselves before I told him that we moved in a few weeks ago. He seemed interested in the fact that we were living in Horace Craft's home as well. "Horace was our grandfather." He said before taking a sip of his drink. "Really?" I asked curiously. "Yeah. He um... he was a real help after... well... after Elizabeth..." He said, trailing off. I sympathized with him even though I had no idea what it might have felt like losing your sister, especially to murder. But it's also because I'm an only child. "I'm so sorry that you had to lose her in such a horrible way." I said and I could tell that he was fighting back his emotions. We made small talk before he suddenly mentioned the attic and the desk that was left.

"Yeah, I'm actually using the attic as my office." I said, hoping I wasn't acting strange. "I probably shouldn't say anything, but no matter what anyone says... Horace wasn't crazy. He knew things and wasn't afraid to tell people what he thought." He said which was completely unexpected. I didn't expect him to be so open with that sort of thing to a total stranger. But then again, maybe he wanted to tell me all of this before the town's shared opinions had time to wear off on me. The two of us just looked at each other for what felt like forever. I wasn't sure what to say and I didn't have time to react. Jay and Ash came back, which brought on another round of introductions. I let my friends get desert before we left and headed home. We shared everything we found out during the drive. Apparently they ended up speaking to Monica, Elizabeth's sister and she opened up to them too. "I don't think either of them believe that Daniel Brühl murdered Elizabeth. They both said their grandfather wasn't crazy like everyone thinks." Ash said and Jay agreed.

What we found today didn't bring us any closer to narrowing down a suspect, but it did let us see what others thought. The townspeople think Daniel killed his fiancée but her brother and sister doesn't. "I just wonder of they have any suspensions on who could have done it." I said out loud. "We'll have to get to know them better before we can ask them anything like that." Jay said. "No, not necessarily. Not if we let them know what we're doing." I replied. Jay parked the car before the both looked back at me like I was crazy. "You don't know if they're being truthful. They could have just opened up to us to see if we found their grandfather's stuff in that desk." Ash said. "Yeah, and what the hell is going to happen if they tell the wrong person?" Jay added. They were right, but then that meant we couldn't trust anyone. It was hard to admit the fact that we didn't know who we could trust. Our best best is to just try and solve this thing without attracting too much attention to ourselves. That meant playing both sides. We'd have to pretend to agree with the townspeople even though we don't.

"Wait... what if we act like we're gathering evidence against Daniel Brühl? Then they'd be willing to talk; everyone in town blames him any way." I said as we walked into the house and sat down on the couch. My friends were against that too. They said that if the one responsible for her murder found out that we were investigating the case bad things would start happening. I didn't disagree with them completely. I just thought that maybe it would bring the killer out of hiding. He or she would be willing to talk since the killer believes they got away with it. "You've been watch too much crime fiction lately." Jay joked, but he wasn't wrong. I have been watching the Hallmark Mysteries channel a little too much recently. We decided to play some video games. We'd trade off the controllers just so we all got to play a game or two with the other person. Ash was playing against Jay when my phone buzzed. I wasn't sure who it was until I looked at the screen.

Daniel: Hey, how are you?

Me: I'm good. How are you?

Daniel: Alright I guess. Just... never mind I don't wanna make you sad, especially if you're in a good mood.

I felt bad for him and wondered what was wrong. If I could help I wasn't just going to ignore how he was feeling.

Me: It's okay. What's wrong? You can tell me anything, I promise.

Daniel: I just feel so alone. Everyone hates me here... I just... I just can't take it anymore.

Me: I don't hate you. Listen, if you need someone to come over I can. You just have to give me your address.

Daniel: I'm grateful that you've been so kind to me, but they'll get to you eventually. You'll start hating me just like everyone else.

My heart started beating like crazy and it was getting a little hard to breath. I was starting to worry that he was going to kill himself and all I wanted to do was prevent that from happening. Tears threatened to fill my eyes as I kept texting him.

Me: They won't get to me, Daniel. I promise. Just please tell me where you live and I'll be over. I don't want you to be alone right now.

We messaged each other a little longer before he eventually gave me his address. "I have to go. I think Daniel is going to hurt himself if I don't get to his place soon." I suddenly said as I hurried into my room. I was in the middle of packing an overnight bag when Ash stepped into the doorway. "Are you sure you can trust him?" She asked with concern in her gray eyes. "Do you want us to come with you?" Jay asked from the living room. "I'm sure I can trust him. Besides, he has never meet you two yet and it might make him worse." I said as I finished packing my stuff. My friends told me to be careful and to call if anything bad happened. I gave them both hugs before getting into my car and pulling out of the driveway. I made sure I was following the speed limit even though I was in a hurry to get to Daniel's home. Getting pulled over by a cop would have slowed me down even more. I would have listened to some music, but I didn't want to be distracted. I didn't want to mess up and take a wrong road.

It felt like it took forever for me to find Corpsewood Road which was a creepy name. But that was the road that Daniel lives on. The two lane roads turned into a single one and I felt a little uneasy when I didn't see anymore houses. 'Is he the only one who lives up here?' I wondered. 'The townspeople really isolated him if so.' I thought, but then maybe that's what he chose. Since they were so mean to him he chose to stay away from them as much as possible. Except when he needed to go into town to get food and stuff. By the time I reached the house it started raining. The sky was covered in thick dark gray clouds, which told me a thunderstorm was on its way. I had to get out of my car to push a black iron gate open. Then I drove through it to see a big Victorian mansion. It took my breath away, especially since I wasn't expecting to see something like that.

The siding was painted a dark burgundy with cream colored trim. All around the grounds were hedges and flower bushes that were cut to look like animals amongst other things. One was a dinosaur, another was a swan, an open hand and many more. It reminded me of the movie called Edward Scissorhands, which is one of my favorite Tim Burton films. The driveway turned into a little roundabout that encircled a lovely stone fountain. I parked my car and grabbed my bag before shutting off the engine. Once I was on the porch I rang the doorbell, hoping he was okay. When no one came to the door I stared to worry, so I rang the bell again. After the third ring the door opened and Daniel was standing there. His hair was a little messy and the heather-gray colored sweater he was wearing was rumpled. "Hey." I said. "Hey." He replied before mentioning me to come inside. When he closed the door behind me I turned to watch him lock it, but it make me nervous or scared.

"Come here." I said softly as I wrapped my arms around his torso and held him close. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his head in the crook of my neck. We stayed like that for a while before he broke the silence that had settled down around us. "I... I was starting to think you weren't going to show up." He mumbled, and it broke my heart. "It took me a while to get here. I'm so sorry." I replied as I tightened my arms around him a little and he did the same to me. "No. It's okay. You're here now and that's all that matters." He said and I gently rubbed his back to comfort him. Eventually we broke the hug and he took my hand to lead me into the large living room. The place had a Victorian gypsy circus feel to it but it also had a modern touch as well. It was quite comforting. A loud rumble of thunder was followed by a flash of lightning outside as we sat down on the couch. There was a fire in the fireplace because it was pretty cold today, and the rain would probably make it even colder. "Sage, I... I..." He trailed off and I shushed him gently.

I snuggled close to him and hugged him again. He hugged me back and I left a small kiss on his head. He held me around my torso as I held him around his broad shoulders. I eventually tangled my fingers in his soft hair. Deep down I hoped I was giving him the comfort he needed and deserved. "It's okay." I said softly as he started crying. The thought of the pain he had suffered and was still suffering broke my heart. I fought back my own tears, but it was difficult. He held me so close I could feel his heart beating in his rapidly rising and falling chest. After what felt like forever he slowly broke our hug and wiped his tears away with the sleeves of his sweater. When he blew his nose in some tissues and calmed down we talked for a little while. "I use to have my friend Horace stay here when I get like this. But... he passed away and I haven't had any one to talk to since. I'm honestly surprised I'm still here." He said in a whisper. Tears filled his eyes again and slipped down his cheeks. "It's alright, Daniel. You aren't alone any more. I'm here for you." I said as I wiped his fresh tears away.

When he was feeling better he mentioned something to eat for dinner and I offered to cook. He wasn't in any state to do anything really. I made us some canned soup and grilled cheese sandwiches to go with our hot cups of tea. We ate I commented on how beautiful his house was. I wanted to get his mind off of whatever was making him feel so bad. Once we finished eating we washed dishes together because he said he'd feel bad if he made me clean. But I didn't have any problem with it. We went back into the living room and sat down just as the storm took the power out. He lit some unscented candles even though we had the fireplace for light. The two of us snuggled into each other's arms and I vaguely remember something warm being draped over me before I fell asleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	6. Daniel Brühl

Sage's POV:

I woke up to the sound of rain hitting a nearby windowsill. Then I realized I wasn't in my bed. Even though it was very warm and comfy, I knew I wasn't home. After rubbing my eyes I opened them to find myself in a foreign bedroom. It took me a minute to realize where I was. 'You're at Daniel's place.' I said inside of my head which made me relax a little. 'I must have fallen asleep and he carried me in here.' I thought as I laid there for a little while longer. Eventually I got out of bed and walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower and get dressed. I was suddenly glad that I packed an overnight bag before leaving the house. When I was finished I grabbed my things and walked out into the hall. It took me a little while to actually find the stairs, because I had no idea where anything was. Luckily the smell of breakfast was by guide. When I walked into the spacious kitchen, I spotted Daniel standing next to the stove cooking. "Hey." I said, breaking the silence. He turned around to face me and a small smile spread across his handsome face.

"Hey. I hope you slept alright last night." He said. "I slept good actually. Thanks for letting me stay here by the way." I replied. To be honest it might have been the best sleep I had since moving to this town. He poured each of us a cup of freshly brewed coffee and I sat down at the table. "No problem. It's the least I could do for you since you came all the way out here just because I was having a rough day." He replied with a soft look in his beautiful brown eyes. I took a few sips of the deliciously strong liquid as he turned his attention back to cooking. "Are you feeling better this morning? I know I probably wasn't much of a help last night..." I said, trailing off a little after a few seconds or so of comfortable silence. "No, you were wonderful. You made me feel less alone.... like someone actually cares about me." He replied and I felt bad for him. I figured he has probably been alone ever since his fiancée was murdered. Like he said last night, the only person who consoled him was Horace Craft. It made me want to be there for him even more. I sat my coffee on the table before standing up and walking over to him so I could give him a hug.

"I do care about you, Daniel. I want you to know that if you ever need someone that I'm always here for you. You can call or text me whenever you want, and if you need me to come stay with you I will." I said as I wrapped my arms around his torso and snuggled into his side. "I care about you too, Sage. And everything you just offered me I'm willing to return to you." He said as he hugged me back and kissed the top of my head. We stayed like that for a while before we broke the hug and filled our plates with food. He made us eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast. It smelled and tasted delicious. The two of us made small talk and it was actually very peaceful. Even though the sky was overcast and it was raining it was very beautiful. The sounds of crows squawking outside put me in the mood for just staying inside to watch a movie or read a book. After we were finished eating I helped him wash the dishes even though he told me I didn't have to. Then we went into the living room to sit on the couch and watch the fire.

I was so cozy sitting there with a cup of coffee next to Daniel. "Are you a little cold?" He asked me curiously. "Yeah, a little." I replied. Even though the fireplace was very warm, my legs were a little cool. He grabbed a blanket and put it over us both. I involuntarily snuggled into his side. A smile spread across his face as he looked over at me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to invade your space. It was just kinda... instinctual." I said and felt myself blush a little. "It's okay." He replied as he put his arm around me, causing me to move a little closer to him. 'He's probably touch starved.' I thought inside of my head. That was something he and I could relate to. I had to admit that I was starting to be quite fond of him. But I knew I couldn't let my fondness blind my judgement when it came to figuring out who had killed Elizabeth Green. Even though I had a strong feeling that he didn't have anything to do with her death. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I enjoyed the peaceful moment for a while. Then I suddenly thought about Ash and Jay.

I took my phone out of my pocket and realized that I didn't have any service. "Daniel, can I use your phone? I should probably call my friends and let them know I'm okay." I said. "Sure." He replied as he got up and grabbed his landline phone. He took our empty coffee cups to the kitchen to give me some privacy. I dialed Ash's number since it was the weekend and I knew she was off from work. Plus I didn't want to interrupt Jay if he was live streaming or something. "Hello?" Ash's voice said, coming through the phone. "Hey, it's me, Sage." I said. "Oh my god! Thank goodness you called. I was just going to call the police to go looking for you. Where are you?" She said with a hint of panic and relief in her voice. I felt so bad about not calling her sooner to let her know I was okay. "I'm at a friend's place." I replied. She knew I was going to Daniel's, but I didn't want to say his name. Mostly because he hasn't even met my friends yet, it would be kinda odd if they even knew who he was before hand. She said that her and Jay were sending me a bunch of messages and voicemails. I had to tell her that I couldn't get cell service, so I was using Daniel's landline.

"I'm fine, so there's no need to worry." I said to make sure she knew I wasn't in any danger. We made some small talk but we made sure not to mention anything about our investigation in case Daniel was listening to our conversation. Not that I thought he was, but there wasn't any harm in being too careful. "Okay, I'll tell Jay that you're alright." She said before we said our goodbyes. When I was finished I hung up and put the phone in the receiver. A few minutes passed before Daniel came back and sat down next to me. He covered himself up with the blanket we were sharing and I thanked him for letting me borrow his phone. "Don't mention it, it's the last I can do." He said with a small smile that was so cute in my opinion. We snuggled on the couch as we watched the flames in the fireplace. Then we decided to watch some tv since the power was on. The whole day we just enjoyed each other's company, which I think was very good for him. Being alone and having the townspeople be so horrible to him no doubt caused him trauma. Especially since everyone blamed the murder of his beloved onto him.

I had no doubt that he most likely didn't even get to grieve for her properly. "No, let me make us lunch. You were sweet enough to make us breakfast." I said as I looked in his fridge. "But you were sweet to me when we met in the grocery store and then when we saw each other at the park. You could have taken what those people told you to heart, but you didn't." He said with a mix of emotions in his beautiful eyes that I couldn't quite decipher. "Daniel, you don't have to repay me for being kind enough to listen to my gut feeling instead of listening to those people." I replied as I sat out some stuff for us to eat. He walked towards me and wrapped his arms around me, leaving a soft kiss on my forehead. His beard hair tickled as well. I giggled slightly, which made him smile. "What?" He asked with a little sparkle in his eyes. "Your beard tickles" I replied with a smile of my own. He laughed slightly and ran a hand through his hair. 'He really is a handsome man.' I thought inside of my head. But I pressed my thoughts aside as we started making lunch together.

After we ate he offered to take me on a tour of the house. I was actually quite grateful for that in case I ever decided to spend the night again. I didn't want to just go off wondering around and invade his privacy. He showed my downstairs first, excluding the kitchen and living room since I had already been in those rooms. There was a beautiful conservatory that was home to a few plants; succulents and other house plants were scattered about in an aesthetic manner. I also spotted a venus fly trap. 'That'll keep the flies at bay if you want to sit and admire the indoor greenery.' I thought as we walked around. There was a sitting room that had a second fireplace. You could tell that the room hadn't been used very much, but it was still in good shape. Then he lead me upstairs where the bedrooms were as well as an office and a library. I was most impressed by the library. Every shelf was filled with books of all sizes and whatnot. Some were paperback and others were hardcover editions. A few of them had leather coverings as well. His whole home was absolutely beautiful. 'It's just a shame that no one will ever get to admire its beauty.' I thought.

But that wasn't necessarily true. If I introduced Ash and Jay to him then they'd get to admire it just as much as I was right now. I really hoped that my friends would be willing to meet him; Daniel needs people in his life that truly care for him. "I would have showed you around the property, but I'll have to save that for a dry day. I don't want you getting soaked and catching a cold." He said, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "You're so sweet." I said with a smile of my own. We sat down at the oak table that was in the center of the library after he let me look around at the books. I told him that I loved mystery, horror, fantasy, and poetry books the most. I do like some nonfiction if it's about something I'm interested in though. Other than that I tend to stay away from them as much as I can. We discussed the many books we've read and loved. It felt nice being able to talk about books with someone who loves to read too. Not that my other friend don't like to read. It's just that Ash prefers romance novels and Jay only reads comic books. I don't have anything against that, it's just not my thing.

Hours passed and we eventually walked downstairs to get something to eat for dinner. We cooked the meal together, which was spaghetti and meat balls with garlic bread. "I didn't see the paintings you bought from me anywhere. Did you buy then just for an excuse to see me again?" I teased lightly as we ate. His eyes went wide before he spoke. "What? No, I didn't even know you were the one selling them." He said, and I laughed a little. "It's okay, it's okay. I know you didn't know the I was the one selling the paintings. I'm just teasing you." I said with a smile. He let out a nervous breath before relief washed over him. A moment of comfortable silence passed before either of us said anything more. "I have them in my room. That way at night if I feel like no one cares about me I can look at them and I'll think about you." He said in a soft voice. He looked shyly up at me and my insides melted. "Aww." I said, causing a light blush to creep up onto his face. 'He's the cutest person ever.' I thought and I blushed a little too. Once we were finished eating we washed the dishes together.

Then we went I to the living room. He put a couple of logs on the fire to keep it nice and toasty in the house. I was looking forward to sitting there with him until I looked at the time on the nearby clock. "Oh my god, is that the time?" I asked in a shocked and confused tone. "Yeah, wow." He said once he checked to see if the time on the clock matched the time on his wrist watch. "Should probably head home." I said and a sad expression came over Daniel's face. He hurried over to the couch and sat down next to me. "Do you have to go? I mean... you could stay here if you wanted to." Daniel said with a desperate sort of look in his eyes.  
"I don't have any other clothes to wear." I said feeling a little guilty. "I'll let you borrow some of my clothes. They might be a little too big for you, but... please stay." He said, giving me puppy dog eyes. My insides melted from how cute he looked.

To be honest I think he could have made anyone melt by looking at then with those big eyes of his. I completely caved and he held me in a tight cozy hug that I could have stayed in for a long time. I ended up calling my friends to tell them that I was spending another night with Daniel. Jay had concerns and even Ash seemed a little iffy about the whole thing even after I told her how kind and sweet Daniel had been. "Fine, go ahead and stay with him but make sure you call us in the morning." She said in that mom voice of hers. "I will, I promise." I replied. We said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone. Daniel came into the living room with two cups of hot tea, which I thanked him for. We sipped our hot beverages and watched the crackling flames. At midnight we went upstairs to go to go to our separate bedrooms.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to stay. I know I probably seem needy, but... I just... I didn't want to be alone tonight." He said as we stopped near my room. "It's okay. You have the right to be a little needy." I said as I hugged him. He laughed a little as he held me tight in his strong arms. We said goodnight and he left a kiss on my forehead before we parted ways. I entered the bedroom and changed into the pajamas that I had packed before climbing into bed. The covers were a little cool, but I didn't mind. In no time I fell into a deep sleep. 

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	7. Opening Up

Sage's POV:

I woke up and went into the bathroom to find a pile of clothes sitting near the sink. I looked at them and saw there was a green colored sweater and a pair of gray sweatpants. When I changed into them I couldn't help but notice that they smelled like Daniel. His scent is so comforting and the fact the clothes were soft as well as oversized just made them even more cozy. When I was finished I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. He was making us breakfast, so I went ahead and got myself a cup of coffee. I turned around to find him looking at me with an adorable smile on his face. "What?" I asked with slightly furrowed brows. "You look so cute in my clothes." He said as he awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. I felt myself blush and butterflies fluttered inside of my stomach. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just smiled. After sitting my coffee cup on the table I walked over and gave him a hug, wrapping my arms around his torso. He hugged me back and left a sweet kiss on the top of my head.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked him curiously, especially since I didn't smell any eggs or bacon being cooked. "Waffles." He replied as we broke the hug. "They smell really good." I said. "I know, I'm so hungry." He said with a little laugh. To be honest I was pretty hungry as well. When the food was done we walked over to the table and started eating. He had some fresh fruit cup up, so I put some that on top of my golden brown waffle as well as a little maple syrup. We made small talk as we enjoyed our delicious breakfast. I wondered if it would be a good idea to introduce Daniel to Ash and Jay. The only think that worried me is the fact that we were living in his murdered fiancée's grandfather's home. 'Would going there trigger some kind of bad memory, or would it trigger good memories that end up making him sad?' I thought as I took a drink of coffee. "What are you thinking about?" His pleasantly sounding voice caught my attention. I hadn't realized that I was basically staring at a random wall and felt a little embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. I was just wondering if you'd like to meet my friends. I'm sure they'd love to get to know you." I said with a small smile.

"Well... I'd love to meet them, but..." He said, trailing off. "But what?" I asked him with slightly furrowed brows. "Do... um... do they believe what everyone else says about me? I'm sure someone by now has told them to stay away from me." He said with a sad look in his big brown eyes. "They're kinda like me in the sense that they prefer to form opinions of their own." I said. A small smile spread across his face before he agreed to meeting Ash and Jay. So after we ate I gave them a call to see how they felt about the whole idea. Deep down I hoped they'd be okay with it. Especially since I felt like Daniel needed as many friends as he could get, as long as they love care about him. "Are you sure you want to bring him here? It might be triggering for him." Ash said on the other end of the phone. "He knows where we live. I think, I mean it was the only house for sell in the whole town." I replied. We really couldn't tell him that the house belonged to his fiancée's grandfather or he'd know something was up. "If he doesn't want to be in the house we can always have a cook out even if it is a little chilly outside." I heard Jay say in the background and figured that was a good idea. It wasn't like we could go out to a restaurant together.

If we went anywhere everyone would treat him like garbage; they'd probably try to get us to leave him or something too. And then if we chose to stick around him they'd stop trusting us as well. When I got off of the phone with them I walked into the living room. Daniel was watching the news when I sat down on the couch next to him. "Hey, my friend said they'd like to meet you." I said with a small smile. "That's great. Are we going over today?" He asked. I told him yes but we didn't have to be there until three o'clock or so. The two of us sat next to the warm fireplace and watched tv for a while. Then we just talked. We shared funny stories about our lives just to get to know each other a little more. There was so much I wanted to know about him and I'm sure he felt the same way with me. Hearing him laugh was the most beautiful think; you couldn't help but to smile. Seeing him happy made my insides feel so warm and fuzzy. We left the house right after we had lunch since it was a long drive from his place to mine. He made sure I had everything packed, which I thought was very sweet. I forgot that I drove up there so we took separate cars; he followed me the whole way there.

I just hoped driving past his ex fiancée's home didn't bother him much. But I knew if he did have a break down I'd be there to comfort him. I listened to music in my car and was glad that it wasn't foggy or raining outside today, even though I love that kind of weather. I parked my car and Daniel parked beside of me. I got out and grabbed my bag. When he got out of his car I watched as he looked around to take in his surroundings. I could tell he was emotionally distressed, but he was fighting back the sorrow he was obviously feeling. "Are you okay?" I asked him curiously even though I knew he wasn't. "Yeah." He lied. His beautiful eyes were welling up with tears but he was fighting them back. I dropped my bag so I could pull him into a tight hug that so hoped comforted him. He hugged me back. We stayed like that for a little while before we go walked up to the house. I got my key out and entered the home. Daniel slowly followed me as he looked around. Jay got up off of the couch and I introduced them to each other. They shook hands as I closed the door behind us.

Ash came out of the kitchen which prompted another round of introductions. They made small talk as I took my bag of dirty clothes into my room. 'I'll wash them tomorrow.' I thought inside of my head. My friends seemed to hit it off. We didn't need to move our gathering outside because Daniel seemed like he was calming down a bit. But I made sure to keep my eye on him. The boys talked in the living room while Ash and I prepared dinner in the kitchen. "So... did he reveal anything to you?" She asked in a hushed tone. "No, not yet. It'll probably take him a while." I replied and she nodded in understanding. "Driving by the house she was murdered in was probably really hard for him." She said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. "Yeah, it was. He almost started crying in the driveway but I didn't ask him why. I figured it would be best if he opens up to me on his own." I said with a deep sigh. When dinner was ready we gathered around our little table, which fit the four of us perfectly. Daniel complemented us on our cooking as we ate. Each of us tried to keep the subject matter of our conversations light. Neither one of us wanted to distress Daniel more than he already was.

When we finished eating we all chipped in with cleaning up. Then we went into the living room to watch tv and play video games. Jay was really into a game called Fall Guys, apparently he was getting a lot of views on his YouTube channel by playing it. Each of us took turns playing different games and whatnot. Daniel's mood seemed to improve. He was laughing, smiling, and joking around with us. Ash and Jay really seemed to enjoy his company. Seeing them like this made me smile. All I wanted was for us to give Daniel something to live for, something that he could look forward to every day. As the evening went on the sky got darker and darker. "Daniel, we have a spare bedroom on the second floor if you'd like to spend the night." Ash said. "Oh, no. I couldn't put you guys out. You invited me to dinner and-" He started, but Jay cut him off. "Oh, nonsense. You can spend the night." Daniel eventually agreed to stay. Knowing that I'd be able to see him in the morning really made me happy. I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to him yet. After a while I lead Daniel upstairs to the guest bedroom while Jay and Ash got ready for bed themselves.

"Sage, can... can I tell you something?" Daniel asked as he and I entered the bedroom. "Yeah, sure. You can tell me anything." I replied. I couldn't help but wonder if he was going to tell me something significant about Elizabeth Green's murder. I was a little excited but I also felt very bad for him. I knew what it was like to lose loved ones, but I couldn't imagine what it must be like to lose someone you wanted to start a life with. We sat down on the bed before he spoke "This house... it was Horace Craft's home. My fiancée's grandfather's home. And... just a few houses down is where... is where my fiancée was... she was...." He let out a little sob that absolutely broke my heart into a million pieces. I pulled him close and held him tight as he cried. One of my hands were tangled in his soft brown hair and I rubbed his back with the other. "Shhh, it's okay. It's okay." I whispered. When he calmed down a little he was able to tell me that Elizabeth was murdered and the whole town blamed her death on him. Everyone except for her grandfather.

Her brother and sister had doubts that Daniel was responsible, but still they refused to have any contact with him. The whole thing was just so heartbreaking. "I'm so sorry, Daniel. Is there anything I can do to help? I mean... did they even find out who killed her?" I said as gently as I could. "You're already helping me. You've been so sweet and so kind to me already, and your friends are just as wonderful as you are." He said as he hugged me and kissed my forehead. "But no, they... they never did find out who killed her and I don't think they ever will. Mostly because everyone thinks I killed her." He sniffed and wiped his tears away. A few moments of silence passed between us before I spoke up again. "Let me help you... let us help you. We can at least try to figure out who took her away from you." I said softly. I slowly reached my hand towards his face and gently ran my fingers through his surprisingly soft beard. He placed one of his large hands on top of mine, lightly caressing it with his thumb. "You'd do that for me?" He asked curiously. "Of course I would." I replied.

He said he'd have to think about letting us get involved in something so dangerous. I didn't want to tell him that Ash, Jay, and I were already involved in trying to solve Elizabeth's murder. I didn't want him to know we knew anything about the case at all in fear of scaring him off. So we stayed in each other's arms for a little while before saying goodnight. I reminded him that if he needed anything that I was downstairs before going to my own room. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed, but I spent most of the night staring at the ceiling thinking. After what felt like an eternity I finally fell into a restless sleep.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	8. The Scene of the Crime

Sage's POV:

Ash made us breakfast while I went upstairs to the guest bedroom to wake up Daniel. When I knocked on the door he told me to come in. He was standing in the room, just looking out of the window that pointed towards the house that his fiancée had been murdered in. I couldn't help but to feel sympathetic towards him. I walked over and hugged him from behind. "How did you sleep?" I asked him curiously. "I didn't sleep well. I spent most of the night tossing and turning when I wasn't staring up at the ceiling." He replied. I broke the hug and he turned around to face me; he wrapped his arms around me and I returned the hug. "You could have came downstairs to talk with me. I would have stayed up with you." I replied. "I didn't want to keep you up just because I couldn't sleep." He said sweetly as he gently tightened his arms around me. We stayed like that for a while before we eventually walked downstairs. Jay was sitting at the kitchen table reading the morning newspaper as he drank his coffee. The four of us made small talk and ate breakfast together.

It was a good opportunity for my friends to get to know him better, even if we did hangout last night. It gave Ash and Jay time to make opinions about Daniel over a good night's sleep. 'I really hoped they like him.' I thought inside of my head as I drank some coffee. "So, what are we going to do today?" Ash asked curiously as we finished eating. "I um... I was wondering if you three would join me in looking at that house... her house." Daniel said in a small voice that made my insides ache a little. My friends glanced at each other uneasily for a moment before they spoke up. "Can we do that? I mean... can we legally do that?" Jay asked with slightly furrowed brows. "Oh, yeah. I bought the house after her parents moved. I just couldn't bare letting anyone else moving into it, not that anyone really would have bought the place anyway. People don't like to buy places someone had been murdered in, and I don't blame them." He said, causing Ash and Jay to exchange another look. I wasn't sure what they were communicating to each other, or what they were thinking. I kind of understood why Daniel bought the house. In my mind it was probably a way to prove to Elizabeth's parents that he wasn't the killer.

But I guess his intentions were viewed as sinister by the town's people. "We'll go with you only of you want us to, Daniel." Ash said with a hint of sympathy in her eyes. "Yeah. We did just set after all." Jay added. There was slight worry and a little bit of curiosity in his eyes and tone. "Well... If you're kind enough to welcome me into your home then I know I'm able to trust you. Especially since Sage is friends with you both." Daniel said with a small smile as he glanced in my direction. With everything said we walked over to Elizabeth Green's former home after we cleaned up the kitchen. It felt like we were in place we shouldn't be, even if Daniel had invited us to come along. 'Maybe we'll find some kind of evidence that the police didn't find.' I thought inside of my head to keep me moving forward. But I knew that DNA evidence wouldn't be present a once it has been so long since the murder had taken place. The house looked worn and decrepit just like any other home that had been sitting abandoned. The grass had been mowed, and I suspected that Daniel had been the one who had done it. As we walked onto the porch I noticed that white paint was peeling off of the boards.

The blue siding was faded and speckled with moss and green mildew. To my surprise, Daniel took off a silver necklace that had a key attached to it. He put the key in the doorknob to unlock the front door. It creaked as he pushed it open, and a burst of warm stale air rushed into our faces. He gave us a tour of the place. The house wasn't big; there was a living room, a kitchen, a downstairs bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs as well as another bathroom. "Is it alright if we look around?" Jay asked after we were shown all around the house. "Sure." Daniel replied with a sad look in his big brown eyes. Electricity was still hooked up to the house, so we turned the lights on to see better. 'I bet if someone drove by right now they'd think this place is haunted.' I thought inside of my head. Ash and Jay went downstairs to look around. I decided to look in the bedrooms, specifically Elizabeth's. Daniel followed me and sat down on her dusty bead. The silence was almost defining in this house, but it was worse in this particular room. I tried not to think about the blood stain that was in the living room downstairs. I think that's one of the reasons why my friends decided to let us stay upstairs.

I looked through the dresser as well as the night stand by the bed. I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for until I found it. There was a couple of notebooks hidden behind the night stand. I grabbed them and dusted them off, wondering if I just found something we needed to help solve this case. I wanted to look at them, but I figured it would be best if I waited until we got back home. Then I noticed that Daniel was crying as quietly as he could. I stood up and sat down next to him so I could comfort him. "Hey, it's alright. We can go outside if you want to." I said as I rubbed his back and snuggled into his side. When he was finished crying he wiped his tears away and we slowly walked downstairs. We ended up meeting Jay and Ash in the foyer. Their eyes filled with sympathy when they noticed that Daniel had been crying. I knew he didn't bring us in this house to help us look around; he brought us in here to try and find clues. "It's okay, Daniel. You'll never have to go back in there if you don't want to." I said as we slowly walked back to our place. "She's right. You don't have to keep torturing yourself with what happened." Jay said, giving him some words of encouragement.

No one noticed I found something until we helped Daniel sit on the couch. "Where did you find those?" Ash asked me as I sat down as well. "They were hidden behind the night stand." I replied. "Those are Elizabeth's. She always wrote in them; writing down her thoughts and whatnot." Daniel said softly. He almost seemed like he was in another world. Jay and Ash glanced at each other before looking back at me. I hoped they knew what I was thinking. I couldn't help but wonder if Elizabeth left something in those notebooks that could help us identify her killer, or at least get some kind of lead. But, I didn't want to discuss anything in front of Daniel just yet. He wasn't feeling well emotionally and I probably wouldn't either; I don't think anyone would be okay after stepping foot in the home someone you love had been murdered in. I didn't want to talk about anything that might make him to feel worse. "You don't look so well, Daniel. Maybe you should go upstairs and lay down for a while." Jay said and I agreed. "Yeah... yeah I think I will. I didn't get much sleep last night anyway." Daniel replied. I followed him upstairs just to make sure he reached the bedroom safely.

He sat down on the bed as I closed the curtains to keep the light out so he could go to sleep if he wanted to. Plus, I didn't want him looking in the direction of that house again. When I turned around I noticed that he had taken his shoes off. I sat down next to him and gave him a hug, which he returned. "If you need anything we're right downstairs." I said and he gently tightened his arms around me. "I know." He replied softly. He climbed underneath the covers I held his hand to help him relax. Eventually he fell into a deep sleep. I quietly left the room and slowly closed the bedroom door behind me. When I walked downstairs I noticed that Ash had made a fresh pot of coffee for us to drink as we combed through Elizabeth's hidden journals. I wondered why the notebooks were hidden, but maybe she hid them to keep her siblings from prying. Either that or they were accidentally fell off of the bedside table somehow. The three of us sat in silence. The only sounds were turning pages and coffee drinking. "Hey, I think I found something." Ash said, and I held my place in my book as she showed Jay and I what she had found.

"Elizabeth wrote down how she ran into her ex boyfriend, Mark on the eighteenth of December. She mentions how they had a verbally and physically abusive relationship." Ash said as her eyes scanned the pages in front of her. Apparently Mark had moved away after him and Elizabeth had broken up, but he came back. "When did she run into him?" Jay asked curiously. "Just six months before her murder." Ash replied, and a rush of adrenalin filled my stomach. I got goosebumps as well. A moment of silence passed over us before anyone spoke. "Do you think it could have been him? I mean... they did have an abusive relationship." Jay said. "I don't know. We have to keep looking through these journals and see what else she says about Mark and anyone else she was close to." I said. Each of us kept reading, only taking breaks to use the bathroom and to fill our coffee cups. Hours passed before I found something odd. It made my stomach drop. "Guys, look!" I said as I handed the journal over to my friends. "There are a bunch of pages missing. How did I not notice this sooner?" I said. Ash and Jay took the journal to look at it closer.

"It's not your fault you didn't notice any pages were missing. Jay and I could have easily missed it as well." Ash said. "Do you think the killer ripped those pages out to keep someone from finding out who they were?" Jay asked. "Absolutely. There's really no other reason why they would be ripped out." Ash replied with slightly furrowed brows. I couldn't help but think that the murderer killed Elizabeth and then went upstairs to rip out those pages. Maybe he was in a hurry and knocked these behind the night stand or he was trying to hide them. Either way, we just lost an opportunity to get a real solid lead in this murder investigation. I wondered if there were more notebooks that were hidden in the house. 'Maybe we can go look around the house some more and see if we missed anything.' I thought, but then my mind went back to Daniel. 'He doesn't need to go back in there though. There's no reason for him to go through any more pain than he already has.' I said inside of my head. After a few more minutes of discussing everything, Jay offered to make dinner. Ash got things together so she could go to work tomorrow.

I took the notebooks up to my office on the third floor. I placed them in the desk where I found the stuff that got all of this started. On my way back downstairs I stopped in tone guest bedroom to check in on Daniel. He was still asleep, and it warmed my heart. He looked so peaceful. 'Maybe I should wake him up. Dinner will be ready in a little while.' I thought as I walked further into the room. I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed some his hair to one side with my fingers. "Hey, wake up. Jay is making dinner." I said softly and he started stirring a bit. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted at me as he tried to wake up. "What time is it?" He asked in a morning voice that was kinda attractive. I told him it was almost six, and he slowly got out of bed. He went into the bathroom across the hall while I went down to the living room. Ash was helping Jay in kitchen. As I sat there on the couch I wondered if we ever would find out who had killed Elizabeth Green. I really hoped that we would be able to find her killer, but I had a fear that we might just end up like Horace Craft. Die of old age before we could bring the murderer to justice.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	9. The Point Of No Return

Sage's POV:

The next morning Daniel went back home. I was a little upset to say goodbye to him, but I knew he had things to do on his own. But each of us told him that if he needed anything all he had to do was call or text us. Ash was at work and Jay was busy recording YouTube videos for his channel. I was in my office working on some new paintings as I listened to some music, but all I could think about was the case we were trying to solve. It felt like we were at a dead end once again even though we found a couple of clues in Elizabeth's notebooks. Deep down I didn't think we would making anymore progress until we questioned her family members. But my friends still didn't think that was a good idea. I did agree that if we were seen with Elizabeth's family members and our conversations were overheard it would open a can of worms. Who knows, the killer might actually come after us once they realize what we've been doing. 'We don't really have to talk to them in person.' I suddenly realized as I finished up one of my paintings. I cleaned up and washed my hands before I put my thoughts into action.

I got on my phone and searched for Eric Green on Facebook. 'Her brother has to know something. Especially since he had to know about her past relationships and whatnot.' I thought as I typed his name into the search bar. It didn't take me long to find his profile, but I made sure it was really him before sending him a message. I first thought about sending him a friend request, but decided against it. It took me a while before I constructed a message that I thought would entice him to open up and tell me details of what had happened. I needed to know what lead up to his sister's murder.

Me: Hello, I'm a college student at the community college and I'm writing a paper on unsolved murder cases. I was wondering if you'd be willing to talk about the unfortunate murder of your sister, Elizabeth Green. I completely understand if you decline my request. You have my deepest condolences; I can't imagine how horribly devastating it must be to lose a family member, especially one you are so close to. Please get back to me as soon as you can. Again, I understand if you'd rather not speak on this particular subject.

After sending the message I headed downstairs to grab something to eat for lunch. It was one o'clock after all and my stomach was starting to hurt a little. Jay came out of his room to get something to eat as well. I ended up making us a couple of sandwiches. The two of us sat on the couch and watched some tv as we talked and ate. "So, how are your paintings coming along?" He asked after a few moments of comfortable silence. "They're coming along pretty good. Hopefully more people start buying them." I replied. "How many people have bought your artwork since Daniel?" He asked before taking a drink of water. "Two." I replied with a little sigh. "That's a start. I'm sure you'll get more people buying your stuff once the town get to know you better." He said with a small smile. I really hoped he was right. I've been thinking about revamping my website so I got more online orders. 'Maybe I should do that after I eat.' I thought inside of my head. After watching tv for a while Jay asked if I wanted to play Among Us, a new video game that is really popular at the moment, for a live stream he is doing later tonight. Obviously I said yes. I always like helping him out with his streams and videos when I can, besides I really like that game.

While he went back to filming, I cleaned up the kitchen a little. I also made sure the chicken I took out of the freezer was thawing out. I planned on making chicken and dumplings for dinner since the cool weather had really settled in. Once I was finished I went into my room where I got on my computer and started doing some graphic design for my website. I wanted to have a fall/Halloween vibe even though it was only September. I was half way finished with my work when I got a Facebook notification. I was little annoyed that I was interrupted, but a part of me was excited to see Eric's response.

Eric: Hi. I think it's interesting that you're writing a paper on unsolved murders. You must be pursuing a career in law enforcement, or maybe even law. It is a touchy subject for my family and I, but I would be willing to help you out as much as I can. I know all too well how stressful term papers can be. Just let me know when you'd like to meet, or we could talk over the phone; whatever is best for you.

Me: Thank you so much! You're willingness to participate in my research is greatly appreciated. If you don't mind I would prefer to speak over the phone. It's just more convenient that way due to my current workload. If I could call you around nine o'clock tomorrow morning that would be wonderful!

A rush of excitement filled my veins when I realized he actually agreed to speak to me about such a delicate subject. I would have thought anyone would be reluctant to talk about the murder of your loved on, but maybe he had hopes that him speaking out would help. I really hoped that what he had to say would help my friends and I figure out who had killed Elizabeth. We exchanged phone numbers and agreed to talk tomorrow morning. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to get much sleep tonight due to the way I was feeling. I would have talked to him about everything right then, but I didn't want to be too overbearing and scare him off. So I tried to calm down by putting my energy into the new graphics I was making for my website. When I was finished I decided to get started making dinner. I wanted the food to be done by the time Ash got home from work. That way she had time to relax before getting ready for work tomorrow. I filled a large soup pot with the thawed chicken and added celery, onion, salt, and pepper to season it. As I waited for the chicken to cook, I decided to message Daniel just to see how he was doing.

Me: Hey, how have you been today?

Daniel: I've been alright. It feels odd not being around you, Jay, and Ash. I miss you guys already.

Me: Aww. I miss you too. You know you can come over and stay whenever you want, right?

Daniel: Yeah, but I don't wanna be a bother. Ash has work and everything. I just don't want to get in the way I guess.

Me: You wouldn't be in the way. Ash and Jay really like you; you're part of our little friend group now.

Daniel: I'm really glad I have the three of you in my life now. You have no idea how much I appreciate you guys. :)

He and I talked for a while. I was glad that I messaged him, because I think he was feeling a little down even though he didn't say it. But eventually we said our goodbyes because I had to mix up the dough for dumplings. I was practically covered in flour by the time I was finished, but I managed to dust it all off. The food was done when Ash came home thankfully. She told us about her day at work while we ate. Apparently there was a couple of people who just got hired today, and she didn't care much for their attitudes. She said they acted like they were better than anyone else there even though the just started working there. We gave her words of encouragement. "What I'm about to say might make you two mad at me." I said after a few moments of comfortable silence. They looked at me like I was exaggerating, but I was prepared to be firmly told off. "What do you mean?" Ash asked with furrowed brows. I told them that so contact Elizabeth's brother, Eric, through Facebook and asked him if he'd be willing to talk about his sister's murder. "You what?!" Jay asked with wide eyes. "I hope you didn't say you were investigating the case." Ash said. She looked angry and so did Jay.

I probably should have ran my decision past them first, but I didn't see any other way to find new information. "I'm not that stupid, Ash. I lied and said I was college student writing a paper on unsolved murders. And, I made arrangements so our talks will take place over the phone instead of in person." I replied. I felt a little offended that my friends thought I didn't think everything out before doing something. Even what I said didn't seem to put them at ease. "I hope you know what you're doing. We're dealing with a real murder case. This isn't some kind of tv show or mystery novel." Jay said. "Yeah, he's right. There are real dangers and real consciences involved with this." Ash said. "I know." I replied. Maybe I was being stupid, but I felt like they didn't have any faith in me. Or maybe they were having second thoughts on getting into this investigation. Either way, the rest of dinner was very quiet. Neither one of us spoke and maybe that was for the best. When we were finished eating I washed the dishes and cleaned up. I went into my room, because I wanted to be alone. I didn't feel like watching tv with an awkward silence hanging over my head.

So I took a long hot bath and put on some cozy pajamas before sitting down at my computer. I still played Among Us with Jay because I'm not petty, but I didn't stay the whole length of his stream. When I left the game I walked up to my office and looked over everything we had on Elizabeth Green's case again. I did so in the hopes that I might find something we missed last time. As I looked through the notebooks we found yesterday, I suddenly found more mentions of her ex boyfriend Mark. I found it interesting that she mentioned he would stalk her social media accounts, even after he moved out of town.

"I would block him each time he'd make a new account and send me friend requests. No matter how many times I block him he just won't give up. I have a suspension that he might still be following me on Facebook with a fake account. So today I unfriended everyone I don't know personally. I might just have to leave social media all together if this doesn't stop."

The social media stalking made me think that maybe Mark moved back so he could keep tabs on her. After she left social media he couldn't see what she was up to, so he resorted to physically stalking her. 'Maybe the missing pages depict the stalking he did once he returned to town.' I thought inside of my head. I pulled out a piece of paper and a pen to write down some questions I wanted to ask Eric tomorrow. I knew I had to ease him into the subject to make him feel comfortable about opening up more. I just hoped that I'd be able to see who he suspects is her killer. I also hoped he didn't believe that Daniel killed Elizabeth like the rest of the town's residents. Because if he did then I needed to know why. The fact that Daniel was going to be her husband isn't a solid enough reason in my opinion. The significant other of a murder victim isn't always the one who you should suspect to be the murderer.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I also hope you like the new cover.


	10. Half-Way To The Truth

Sage's POV:

The sound of my alarm clock went off at seven thirty. It was a little early, but I wanted to be awake when I called Eric. I got dressed and headed downstairs to get a cup of coffee and something to eat for breakfast. Ash was packing her lunch box for work and I couldn't help but feel a little awkward. I was kind of hoping that she went out for breakfast today just so I didn't have to run into her. After last night I just wanted to be alone. I felt like my friends thought I was being reckless by contacting Eric about his sister's death. But I felt like I was doing the right thing by searching for more clues and information. Just like Sherlock Holmes said, you can't make bricks without clay; clay in this sense meaning data/information. I grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and filled it up with steaming coffee. "So... are you still going to ask Eric questions about his sister's murder?" Ash asked, breaking the awkward silence. I turned around to find her zipping up her lunchbox. "Yeah, I am." I said as I pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. "You already know my opinion on this as well as Jay's, but I know there's nothing I can do to change your mind. Just be careful, okay?" She said with a mix of emotions in her eyes.  
"I will. I promise." I replied. She left for work and I made myself some dippy eggs with a piece of toast for breakfast. When I was finished eating I went into my office to get prepared to talk with Eric. I had two bottles of water sitting on my desk just in case I needed a drink during my call. I'm not sure why I was nervous, but maybe that's because I wasn't being entirely truthful with Elizabeth's brother. Right at nine o'clock I called him and the two of us made small talk. After a while we eventually got into the serious questions I wanted to ask him, but I made sure to take things slowly. I didn't want him to think that I was asking questions that wouldn't be used in a college essay. We were on the phone for hours, but we didn't just talk about murder. He told me what kind of person Elizabeth was. According to him, she had a bright personality; she always knew how to make someone smile and always saw the good in everyone. "Well, she was like that until she got into a relationship with Mark. He was always so controlling over her. He never wanted her to hangout with her friends or even family members." He said. His voice was very passionate, and I could tell he held hate in his heart for Mark.

"I don't want to sound too forward, but... did they have an abusive relationship?" I asked him curiously, even though I knew they did. "Yeah, they did. I hate to say it but I was so angry that I even contemplated killing Mark. I hope that doesn't make you see me in a negative light." He replied. I told him that I didn't view him in a negative light; if anyone abused someone I think I might have wanted to hurt the abuser as well. To my surprise he had nothing but positive things to say about Daniel. "He was so good to Elizabeth. She told him about her past relationship and he was so gentle with her. She was back to her old self again thanks to him." He said. But then his sister went back into a state of fear when Mark started stalking her on social media, and it only got worse when he moved back. Eric told me various things that Mark did to her when he got back into town. All of them were so horrible, yet the police couldn't do anything because none of them had any proof. I felt so bad for their family. Especially since they had to watch the entire town turn on Daniel, a person the family loved and trusted. A person that helped Elizabeth be herself again after an abusive relationship.

I sympathized with him, even though I couldn't imagine how him and his family must have felt. "Since this particular case is still unsolved, I'm curious if you and your family members were suspicious of anyone." I said I started to bring the call to an end. "All of us suspected Mark, obviously. But due to not having any evidence the police didn't do anything. So everyone naturally accused Daniel since he was engaged to be married to her." He said. Eric also said that he felt bad about what happened to Daniel, especially since everyone in town treats him like he was the killer. "Have you talked to him? Like... have you let him know you don't blame him for your sister's death?" I said. I just hoped that someone told him they don't think he was responsible for her death. "Yeah, I told him that we don't blame him for her death. But... none of us have contacted him in a while to be honest. Now that you mention it... maybe I should call him up someday to see how he has been doing." He replied, and I could hear the guilt that was in his voice. I knew Eric hasn't talked to Daniel in a long time, neither had any of Elizabeth's other family members. It's one of the things that makes Daniel so sad. "I'm sure he'd appreciate that, Eric." I said. As we said our goodbyes he let me know that I could call him if needed more information for my essay, and I thanked him.

When I hung up I checked the time and saw that it was alright eleven thirty. Even though it wasn't lunch time, I was starting to get hungry. 'It's probably because you woke up so early.' I thought inside of my head as I finished drinking my last bottle of water. I quickly went to the bathroom before heading downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed an apple and a granola bar for a snack and then headed into the living room. Jay was sitting there watching tv, but when he saw me he turned the volume down a little. "So... did you actually call Eric Green about his sister's murder?" He asked. I wasn't able to read the emotions that were in his eyes, and maybe that was for the best. "Yeah, I did. And he suspects that Mark killed Elizabeth too." I replied. His eyes went wide before he started asking me a thousand questions about the phone call I had. Luckily for him I took notes of what Eric had told me. I wasn't entirely sure what we could do with this new information and neither was he. We talked as I ate my snack and watched tv. I needed Ash's insight, but I wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved with this anymore than she already was. Mostly because she was so against me contacting Eric in the first place. All I could do was hope she would change her mind once she hears all the details.

After lunch I helped Jay with a couple videos he wanted to film. I even helped him stream a few rounds of Among Us as well. When Ash came home we ate dinner and she talked about her day at work. The whole time there was tension in the air, and I know that Jay felt it as well. I wanted to tell her what Eric had told me, but I didn't know how to present the subject for conversation. Thankfully, Jay did that for me. I didn't expect her to be curious, but she was. In fact she seemed almost glad that I found out some new information we could work on. "So, what do you think we should do?" I asked her with slightly furrowed brows. "Well... the only way we can find more about the murder is if we get access to the case files." She said. "And the only way we can do that is if we go to the police station." Jay added and she nodded in agreement. "But... why would anyone let the three of us look into those case files? Everything's top secret, besides everyone thinks Daniel is the killer." I said. "I've been doing some of my own private research. I went to the library on my lunch break today and found that they have a cop in the family. Lieutenant Joe Kenda is the head of the homicide division down at the station, and he just so happens to be Elizabeth's mother's brother." Ash said.

A rush of excitement washed over me. I wanted to run down to the police station right away, but I knew we couldn't. It was too late, plus we needed to come up with a plan first. How were we going to get in to see Lt. Kenda? The three of us stayed up late that night thinking of ways we could get in touch with him, just to see if he would be willing to meet with us. It was three in the morning before I eventually went to my bedroom that night, but I didn't get much sleep. My brain was too active to allow me to sleep. A part of me knew we'd eventually have to involve the Green family into this. When that time came, I wished that they would help us try and find Elizabeth's killer. After all, we needed all the help we could get. As I stared at the ceiling above me, I hoped that I didn't feel like a zombie in the morning, but I knew it was inevitable. So I tried to press my racing thoughts aside and attempt to get at least a little rest.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	11. The Overlook

Sage's POV:

I was on my way to Daniel's place, because Jay and Ash were having a little anniversary date. I figured I let them have some time on their own. Besides, I haven't seen much of Daniel lately unfortunately. But I have been keeping in tough with him through phone calls as well as text messages. I felt bad for not inviting him or going to visit him, but we've all been busy. A bunch of people suddenly started buying my paintings due to the upcoming holiday season. On top of that my friends and I have been trying to solve the Elizabeth Green case. Unfortunately we haven't been able to contact Joe Kenda from the police department yet; we all figured we should wait a while after Halloween before doing so. Just because we didn't want him to think we were a bunch of troublemakers trying to pull a prank or whatever. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I pulled into Daniel's driveway. Once I was parked I got out and grabbed my stuff out of the back seat before walking up to the front door. It didn't take him long to open the door after I knocked; I guess he must have heard me pull up. "Hey, let me help you with those." He said as he grabbed my bag even though I didn't need help, but I let him anyway. The smell of food made my stomach growl a little.

I wonder what he was cooking for dinner. I closed the door behind me before following him into the living room where he sat my backpack. "How have you been?" He asked me as we at on the couch. The fireplace was warm, which was lovely since it was cold outside. His big brown eyes looked so bright when he looked at me. It made my insides feel just as warm as it was inside of the room. I also noticed that he was wearing a soft looking chocolate brown sweater; he looked so good. "I've been good. How have you been?" I replied with a small smile. "Good. Better now though since we're actually going to be spending the night together." He said with a smile of his own. We made small talk before I asked him what he was making for dinner since it smelled so good. Apparently he was roasting a chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans, and chocolate cake for dessert. "That sounds delicious." I said. That made his smile broaden. He got me a drink and then came back so we could talk. Every now and then he'd leave to check the food. Eventually we went into the kitchen. I helped set the table for us before we filled our plates to eat. As we ate he asked me how Ash and Jay were. "They're doing good." I replied. I mentioned it being they're anniversary as well.

"Aww. I'm really happy for them. Finding true love is so rare." He said. I felt so sorry for Daniel because he lost the one he loved for no reason. There wasn't a good reason for why someone murdered his fiancée. There wasn't a good reason for why the whole town blamed him for her death either. All I really hoped for was to bring the real killer to justice... to clear Daniel's name. "Sorry, I... I didn't mean to dampen the mood." He said. I guess he noticed that my mood had changed a little due to what he had said. "It's okay. I know you're still healing." I replied sympathetically. "I know I say this pretty much every time I'm with you, but I'm really glad I have you as a friend. You're so patient and understanding." He said with a warm look in his brown eyes. "You're so sweet, Daniel. You deserve to have someone who's willing to listen to you. Someone to be there for you when you need them. Jay, Ash, and I are your friends now and we'll always be here for you." I said, hoping I could make him feel like he didn't just have me. He had my friends as friends as well. "I know. I just feel a lot more comfortable around you." He replied, which warmed my insides.

When we finished eating I helped him wash the dishes, clean up, and put everything away. He made us both hot chocolate before we went into the living room to sit next to the fire. "Do you wanna watch a movie or something?" He asked after a few moments of comfortable silence. "Sure." I replied with a small smile. We chose to watch Edward Scissorhands. "I actually had my bushes outside designed like the ones in the movie." He said. "I thought that when I first came here to visit you. Edward Scissorhands is actually one of my favorite Tim Burton movies." I replied. We snuggled against each other after Daniel covered us up with a soft blanket. The sweater he was wearing felt soft too, so I felt extra cozy. Near the end of the movie I noticed that he had tears in his eyes. I wrapped my arms around him to try and comfort him. I knew he was probably thinking about Elizabeth; I just really wanted to help him feel happy. But I knew he was far from getting over her and her death. "It's okay." I said softly. When the credits started rolling, I wiped his tears away. He wrapped his arms around me before nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck. His facial hair tickled; I had to try so hard not to giggle.

I gently rubbed his back and after a while he calmed down and stopped crying. We cuddled for hours in comfortable silence. "We should probably get ready for bed." I said, because I started to feel sleepy. "Okay, but... I kind of wanna sleep next to you. It's okay if you don't want to. I understand." He said. "It's okay. I trust you." I replied as I gave him a little hug. The two of us made sure the house was locked up before we headed upstairs. I ended up changing into my pajamas before heading to his bedroom. He was already underneath the covers, so I climbed in next to him. I snuggled into his side as I wrapped my arms around him once more. He played with my hair for a little while, which made me fall asleep fairly quick. When I woke up I felt a pair of arms wrapped around me. My insides warmed at the thought of being safe and cozy in his arms. I turned to face him as carefully as possible just so I didn't wake him up. He looked so cute as he laid there peacefully sleeping. I reached up and gently played with his surprisingly soft beard hair. He woke up, which made me feel bad. "I'm sorry for waking you up." I said in a hushed tone. "It's okay. I can't complain about getting woken up by you." He said softly.

He smiled and gently nuzzled his adorable nose against mine, which made me smiled as well. Butterflies filled my stomach. He tightened his arms around me slightly so out bodies were comfortably pressed against each other's. He kissed my forehead as well. The two of us cuddled; I loved being enveloped in his warmth and lovely scent. "What do you want for breakfast?" He asked, breaking the comfortable silence. "Bacon, eggs, and toast sounds good to me. What about you?" I replied. "That's fine with me. Coffee or tea?" He said. "Coffee." I said. Even though we agreed on what to have for breakfast, we still didn't make a move to get out of bed. I don't think either one of us really wanted to get up just yet. But eventually we did. He checked the fireplace downstairs, just so it would get warmer in the house. While he did that I took a hot bath and then got dressed. I ended up putting on a pair of black sweatpants as well as a black sweater. Then I headed downstairs. He had the fire going, which felt really good. "Do you want me to get breakfast started while you take a shower?" I asked after I sat on the couch to get warm. "Sure, if you want to." He said. "It's the least I can do after you fixed dinner for us last night." I replied.

He went back upstairs and I went into the kitchen. I started the coffee pot before frying bacon. When he came into the room he poured us each a hot cup of coffee. I then cooked scrambled eggs before making toast. As we ate I noticed how cuddled he looked in his heather gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants. We made small talk for a while. When we were finished we washed dishes and everything. "What do you wanna do today?" He asked me curiously as he filled his cup with more coffee. "We can do whatever you wanna do." I replied. "Get your coat. I wanna show you something." He said with a small smile on his face. I was interested in what he was going to show me, but I knew there probably wasn't any point in asking him. There's no way he was going to reveal that judging by his smile. I grabbed my coat and put my shoes on before we both got into his car. He made sure his house was locked up beforehand though. As he drove towards our destination, I looked out of the window to view the scenery. I noticed that we didn't go in the direction of town, so I was even more curious as to where he was taking me. A half hour passed before he pulled into a little parking lot.

"Where are we?" I asked him as I looked around. "It's one of my favorite places. I haven't been here since.... well... I haven't been here in a very long time." He replied. The two of us stepped out of the car and he locked it before he lead me over to a sign that was nearby. After reading it I realized we were at a scenic overlook. "Come on." He said as he gestured towards a path. We walked side by side through the wooded area. There were benches along the path as well. "Well... here we are. What do you think?" He said. It looked like we were at the top of a mountain, because we were literally overlooking a beautiful river. It was flowing through a valley. At that very moment a few rays of sunlight broke through the gray clouds, and it started snowing. It looked like a scene from a movie. "I think it's beautiful." I replied with a smile. He smiled back and ran a hand through his hair before we both looked back at the scenery. The two of us stood there silently just taking everything in for a while. It was peaceful. The only sound was a light breeze rustling the remaining leaves in the trees that hadn't already fallen to the ground. A few birds chirped as well. I ended up taking out my phone just so I could take a few pictures.

I took a couple photos of the scenery, and then took some of Daniel and I as well. I just didn't wanna forget today or how breathtaking it looked outside in that moment. "Make sure you send those to me." He said with a small smile on his handsome face. "I will." I replied with a smile of my own. His cheeks were starting to get a little red from the cold, and I'm sure mine was too. We stood there for a few more moments before heading back to the car. He turned on the heat and we sat there as we warmed ourselves up. "Thank you for bringing me here, Daniel. Without you I wouldn't have even know this place existed." I said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "Don't mention it. I only found it, because Elizabeth brought me here. It... it's actually where I proposed to here." He replied with a shy little laugh. My heart dropped into my stomach. An anger grew inside of me towards the person who took the woman he loved from him. I wasn't for sure who her murderer is, but I had a feeling it was the abusive ex boyfriend she talked about in her journals. 'Anger won't do anything. Don't let your judgement be clouded by it, because you need to bring her killer to justice.' I said inside of my head. "That's so romantic. I just know that she loved you with her whole heart, you big softie." I said.

"I just hope she knew how much I loved her." He said with a far away look in his eyes. "Of course she did, Daniel. You're so sweet, caring, gentle, and loving." I said as I looked at him with sympathy even though he wasn't looking at me. I reached over and gently took his hand as an attempt to comfort him. He glanced down at our hands before giving mine a little squeeze. "I hope you're right." He said in a hushed tone. "I know I am." I replied softly. A few more minutes passed before he put the car in drive and we headed back down the road we came. During the ride I kept glancing over at him. All I wanted to do was hug all of his pain away, but I knew that wasn't possible. The only thing I could do was offer him comfort when he needed it, and I guess that was better than nothing. When we got back to his place the phone started ringing. I figured it was Jay or Ash that was calling. Daniel answered it though, and it turned out I was right. "I'll make us some lunch." He said before walking into the kitchen. I asked Ash how her and Jay's anniversary was.

We made small talk for a little while; she asked me how Daniel and I was as well. "I got a call from Joe Kenda. He said he can talk to us tomorrow at the local diner." She said, which got me excited. I was looking forward to speaking to someone who was actively involved in Elizabeth's case when it first happened. I really hoped that he would be willing to assist us in our little private investigation. "Why at the diner and not his office?" I asked with slightly furrowed brows. "I guess he doesn't want his colleagues to know what we'll be talking about." She replied. That did make sense. If anyone overheard what we were talking about the news would spread through town like wildfire. "What time?" I asked. "Nine in the morning." She said, and I hoped I would remember. The two of us talked for a while longer before we said out goodbyes. I made sure to let her know that I planned on spending another night with Daniel. That meant I'd have to wake up extra early to make it into town in the morning, but I didn't mind. I honestly think I'd do anything to clear Daniel's name just so the town's people stopped treating him like trash.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	12. Lieutenant Joe Kenda

Sage's POV:

"I'll come by and pick you up later. I... I don't think I can handle being in there, especially when I know what you guys will be talking about." Daniel said as he parked his car in the diner parking lot. "That's fine. Just make sure you get something to eat for breakfast though. I don't want you going hungry." I said as I rubbed his shoulder gently. He promised he'd get something from the cafe in town. When Ash and Jay arrived we all said our hellos. But after a while Daniel left, so the three of us could go talk to lieutenant Kenda. I think each of us were nervous about talking to an actual police officer, especially since we had been conducting an independent investigation. 'Hopefully he won't be mad about that.' I thought inside of my head. Ash lead the way into the diner where we were greeted by a waiter I had seen in the restaurant before. Ash told him that we were joining Joe Kenda, and he lead us to a booth where an elderly looking man was seated. He had graying hair and piercing blue eyes. "Lieutenant Kenda?" Jay said in a questioning tone. "You must be the ones who contacted me about the Elizabeth Green case. Please, have a seat." He said in a deep sounding voice.

"We're very grateful that you were willing to meet with us." Ash said as we joined him at the table. The seats were big enough for the three of us to sit so we were facing Mr. Kenda. "How could I turn down an opportunity to talk about the most famous unsolved murder in this area? Especially when you say you've found new information." He replied. Jay and I glanced at each other briefly before turning back to Kenda. I assumed we weren't telling the officer that we had been doing a private investigation into the case, but I guess I was wrong. Apparently Ash had told him some information to get him to agree to meet with us. We all ordered breakfast and talked about everything as we ate our meals. To my surprise Mr. Kenda was impressed with what we had found. Mostly because he made sure the house had been thoroughly searched when Elizabeth's body was found. "Maybe they took the journals and came back to hide them." I suggested, and the others agreed that it could have happened. "I'd like to review the evidence you three have collected if that is possible." He said as we finished eating our food. We said that we didn't mind him seeing the evidence we had collected, mostly because he is related to Elizabeth. As we separated to go to the bathroom I decided to text Daniel.

Me: Hey, you don't have to pick me up. I'm going back home with Jay and Ash.

Daniel: Oh, okay. What about your things?

Me: I'll get it later. I know how coming over to our place... has an effect on you.

Daniel: Okay. I'll miss you tonight though. :(

Me: Aww. Don't worry, I'll come and stay with you again as soon as I can. I promise. <3

Daniel: I know you will, but that won't make me miss you any less. <3 Would it be okay if I called you later tonight? Like... a video call?

Me: Yeah, that would be fine. And I know how you feel. I'm gonna miss you too. <3

We said our temporary goodbyes before I left the diner with my friends. Joe Kenda was going to follow us to our house. Ash turned on the radio, but turned the volume down so we could talk. "I'm sorry I didn't let the two of you know I told Kenda about what we found. I didn't want him to think we were just troublesome young people trying to pull a joke on him." Ash said. We let her know that we understand why she did what she did. Neither one of us were mad at her. When we got to the house Jay parked the car, and Kenda pulled in behind us. My friends showed our guest hospitality while I headed upstairs to my office to get the evidence. I even grabbed the letter that Horace Craft left in the desk for us. Everyone was silent while the evidence was being evaluated. It literally felt like hours had passed when in reality only a few minutes had gone by. "I think you all have found significant information to reevaluate the Elizabeth Green case." Joe said with a serious look on his face. "Really?" Jay asked curiously. "Of course. But... I'm not entirely sure if the boys at the station will be willing to open the invention back up." Kenda said. "That's no surprise. Everyone blames her death on Daniel, her fiancée at the time." I said.

"I take it you've been warned by the town's residents to stay away from him then?" Kenda asked. "That and we've actually had the pleasure to meet him. He's really a nice guy." Ash said, and I agreed with her. "I know. That's why I was so happy when I heard the news that he and Elizabeth was going to get married. So you can rest assured when I say that I'll do anything to get suspicion off of Daniel." He replied. Before we said goodbye he suggested that we kept the evidence safe. Apparently he didn't want to take everything into the police department in fear of them dismissing it. So he said he'd talk to his co-workers and see if any of them would be willing to reopen the case. Ash, Jay, and I talked for a while before we got something to eat for lunch. After everything was over for the day, I was just suddenly aware of how much I missed Daniel. I was wondering what he was doing at the moment. 'He probably bought groceries while he was in town today.' I thought as I sat in the living room watching tv. My friends joined me on the couch and we ate together. We all talked about what Lieutenant Kenda had told us as well. As the day went on I messaged Daniel, but he didn't reply.

It made me feel a little worried, but I figured he might just be busy. Or he was outside doing maintenance work around his home. I ended up filling my time by helping Jay record some YouTube videos. Then I played a few rounds of Among Us for his live stream. We ended the stream to eat dinner; Ash made spaghetti and meatballs with a salad as well as garlic bread. After we finished eating we all helped each other clean the dishes. They watched a movie while I went into my room to relax. I actually read a few chapters of a new book I bought a while ago. When I took a break from reading I realized that it was already ten o'clock. 'Why didn't Daniel video call me? He said he would.' I said inside of my head. 'Maybe he just forgot.' I thought, so I tried video calling him. I tried a couple of times, but he never picked up. Something didn't feel right. He always answers my texts, calls, and everything. I just wasn't sure if I should go to his house to see if he was okay. It made my mind uneasy. ' He might be sleeping.' I thought. I was worried, but I didn't wanna seem overprotective or anything. So I changed into my pajamas and got into bed even though I spent most of the night staring at the ceiling.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	13. Visitors

Sage's POV:

I was rudely awoken by someone shaking me and calling my name. "What is it? What's wrong?" I asked as I sleepily rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I was feeling so hazy from suddenly getting woken up. "How did you not hear your phone? The hospital called. Daniel has been attacked." Jay said. My heart instantly dropped. Anxiety filled my stomach as I flung my covers off of my body and got our of bed. "Is he okay?!" I asked urgently. "They said that he's in stable condition. In a few hours we'll be able to go and visit him." He said with worry in his eyes. All of a sudden I felt extremely tired and very very guilty. I sat down on the bed and buried my head in my hands. Tears filled my eyes; I literally had a break down. "Hey, it's alright. Daniel will be okay." Jay said as he gently rubbed my shoulder. "I know it's just... he said he'd video call me and when he didn't I do anything. He didn't even respond to my text messages." I replied after I managed to calm down a little. "You can't blame yourself for what happened, Sage. You probably just thought he was busy or went to sleep." Jay said as he gave me a side hug. I wiped my tears away before I hugged him back. Ash walked in and asked us what was wrong.

We told her what was bothering me so much. She told me not to blame myself either, but that didn't really make me feel better. Once I was calmed down, I took a long bath as Ash and Jay made us an early morning breakfast. I got dressed before heading into the kitchen where I poured myself a hot cup of coffee. In a few hours we would be heading to the hospital to visit Daniel. All I could do was think about him; I hoped he wasn't in any pain or uncomfortable. My friends knew I wasn't feeling good, so they weren't talking very much. I figured they knew I wasn't in much of a talking mood. 'I wonder of he's okay enough to be on his phone?' I thought. 'Maybe I should just wait and talk to him when we get there.' I said inside of my head. We ate breakfast before getting into the car and headed to our destination. The whole time I just stared out of the window and watched the scenery pass by. I was ruled by nervous energy. I'm pretty sure my friends could tell, because of the way they'd glance at me through the rearview mirror. They didn't say anything though so I was very thankful for that. I didn't wanna talk just yet. Honestly I only wanted to talk to Daniel.

Eventually we reached the hospital, and Jay parked the car. "What room is he in?" Jay asked as we reached the front doors. "701 I think. If not we can just find out at the information desk." Ash replied. We stopped at the information desk just to make sure what room our friend was in. The tree of us walked into an empty elevator, which made me feel more nervous than I already was. Mostly because I hate elevators. Once we reached the third floor and the doors opened, I could hear all the usual sounds of a hospital. Beeps of the machines, tv's playing in rooms, and the sound of people talking in hushed tones. When we reached room 701 a rush of anxiety hit be like a brick wall. "You can go in first, Sage. We'll wait here until you're ready for us to join you." Ash said with sympathy in her eyes. Both of them gave me a supportive hug before I headed into the room. After closing the door behind me I noticed that the room was dimly lit. 'He's probably sleeping.' I thought inside of my head. As I got closer to the bed he was laying in I noticed he was hooked up to the usual machines. My heart broke when I seen how badly his face was scrapped and bruised. There was a cast on his arm as well.

I gently took his hand and his eyes slowly opened. "Hey." I said in a hushed tone. "Hey." He replied in the same tone, but a small smile spread across his face. "Daniel... I... I'm so sorry for not checking if you were okay when you didn't call me." I said and tears filled my eyes. "It's okay, don't cry sweetheart. Come here." He said as he slightly pulled me towards him with his uninjured arm. I walked closer and leaned down to gently hug him. I didn't wanna hurt him. I snuggled into the crook of his neck and breathed in his comforting scent. "I'm so glad you're okay." I said as I gently tightened my arms around him. "So am I. I was afraid that I'd never get to see you again." He said as he gently tightened his arm around me as well. I admitted that I felt the exact same way. He left a soft kiss on my head before we broke the hug. We went to holding hands instead. We looked at each other for a while in comfortable silence before it was broken. "Ash and Jay are here too. They're out in the hall." I said, and he smiled again. "Tell them to come in." He replied. I did as he said. The four of us sat down and talked for a while. We mostly talked about Daniel to make sure he was alright. He seemed a little taken aback by all of the attention we were giving him, but I knew he probably appreciated it.

A nurse came in to check on him. She seemed kind of surprised to see that he had visitors. 'She probably has a false opinion of him just like the rest of this town.' I thought inside of my head. I was glad that she was kind to him though. She wasn't rude or anything; that might have been because we were there, but who really knows. When lunch time came around Ash picked up some food from our favorite restaurant. We ordered something for Daniel too, because the hospital food he received was horrible. After we ate I finally asked the question everyone wanted the answer to. "So... did you see who attacked you?" I said. "Yeah, it was Elizabeth's ex.... Mark." He replied. A very long silence filled the room after he said that. I don't think anyone expected Elizabeth's abusive ex boyfriend to attack Daniel, especially not now. I mean... I could see that happening when he was first dating Elizabeth, but not now... not after her death. There wouldn't be really any reason for Mark to hurt him. 'Unless Mark blames Daniel for her death.' I said inside of my head. 'But that doesn't match with our theory that Mark was the person who killed Elizabeth.' I thought. "Did he get arrested?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. As far as I know he's in jail right now." Daniel replied. "That's good! At least he won't be able to hurt you or anyone." Ash said. We all agreed on that point. I still couldn't wrap my brain around why Mark would hurt Daniel after all these years. As the day went on the more I didn't wanna leave. Mostly because I didn't want Daniel to be alone. "We better get going. It's getting late." Jay said as he and Ash stood up. "I wish you guys could stay, but I know you guys can't." Daniel said as we said out goodbyes. "I wish we could too." Ash said with sympathy in her eyes. Jay was looking at him the same way. I walked up to his bed and gave him a gentle hug. "Call he or text me if you want later." I said and he gave my cheek a soft kiss. I smiled and kissed his forehead, which made him smile. It felt good to see him smile even though I know he probably was feeling very uncomfortable from his injuries. Once we said our office goodbyes we left and got into the elevator. As soon as I left the room I instantly missed Daniel. I missed him so much I even sent him a little text message while I waited in the elevator.

Me: I already miss you.

Daniel: I miss you too. <3

Me: I would have stayed, but I didn't want to keep Jay and Ash here tonight. Or make them come and pick me up. Especially since Ash has to work tomorrow.

Daniel: It's okay. I know you guys probably wouldn't be able to spend the night here with me. I'm happy that you came to see me though. <3

Me: I'll come and visit you sometime tomorrow. Okay? <3

Daniel: I'd love that. <3

We texted during the whole car ride back home, which was really nice. I was glad that he wasn't hurt too bad. Luckily he'll be able to get out of the hospital in a few days. I went to my room to change into my pajamas and relax. I grabbed my book to start reading, but then my phone started buzzing. At first I thought it was Daniel calling me, but it was from a phone number I didn't recognize. "Hello?" I asked in a questioning tone. "Sage? Is that you?" I slightly familiar voice said on the other end of the line. "Yeah, it's me. Who is this?" I replied. "This is Joe. We met at the dinner yesterday." He said. The longer we talked I realized that he was calling me about Mark's attack on Daniel. Apparently he interviewed him and asked him questions about Elizabeth's murder. "What did you learn?" I asked him curiously. "We gave him a polygraph test and he passed. He wasn't involved with her death." He said, which shocked the hell out of me. It was another piece of shocking news today that I was having a hard time to process. All of us assumed that Mark was the one who killed Elizabeth due to his abusive relationship with her. Not to mention to social media stalking as well as the physical stalking.

"What? What do you mean he passed?" I asked in disbelief. "I'm just as shocked as you are. But maybe there's something you guys overlooked somewhere. Look at what you found and get back to me through this number, it's me personal phone." He said. I agreed I'd have my friends look over the evidence we found again before saying goodbye. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to sleep very well tonight. I'd have too much running through my mind about what Joe told me. And I'd be worried about how Daniel is doing in the hospital. After hours of just laying awake in bed I ended up heading to my office to look at the evidence. 'Hopefully I can find something to give us another lead as to who killed Elizabeth.' I thought inside of my head. But I also didn't wanna stay up too late. I wanted to be able to function enough so I could go visit Daniel.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


	14. Another Suspect

Sage's POV:

When I woke up I felt a horrible pain in my back, neck, and pretty much the rest of my body. I had fallen asleep while I was sitting at my desk. "Shit!" I mumbled as I rubbed my neck and tried to stretch. I slowly got up and walked downstairs to use the bathroom and get ready for the day. After I got dressed I walked into the kitchen where I made myself a hot cup of tea as well as a bowl of cereal. When I was finished eating I brushed my teeth and knocked on Jay's bedroom door. "Yeah?" He said in a questioning tone as he opened the door. "What's up?" He asked with slightly furrowed brows. "I'm gonna go visit Daniel. I just thought I'd tell you to let you where I went. Do you need anything from town?" I said as I rubbed one of my eyes. "Okay. Um... no I don't think I need anything." He said. We talked for a little bit before I left. As I drove to my destination I listened to the radio. Now that I was awake I started thinking about what Joe told me on the phone last night. 'If Mark, Elizabeth's abusive stalker ex, didn't kill her.... then who did?' I thought inside of my head. It really sucked that Mark passed that polygraph test, because all of us thought he was the killer. But I guess it would have been too easy if it was him.

Even though I spent practically all night searching through the evidence we found, I really couldn't remember finding anything significant. 'Maybe the killer wanted us to think it was Mark, especially since he was such a good suspect.' I thought inside of my head. When I reached the hospital I got into the elevator where I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind. I didn't wanna talk about the case while I was visiting Daniel. That was something he didn't need to hear about while he's healing. When I walked into his room he was watching tv. "Hey." I said with a smile. "Hey. I'm really glad you were able to come and see me today." He replied happily. I walked over to him to give him a gentle hug. "Of course I'd come and visit you." I said as he gently tightened his arm around me. "Will you sign my cast? I forgot to ask you guys yesterday." He said as he handed me a black sharpie marker. I signed my name on his cast along with a little heart, which made him smile. I told him that Ash and Jay might come and see him later. He really seemed like he wanted all of his friends's names on there. I thought that was very cute and sweet. The two of us just chatted. The only time I left was to go get food for the two of us.

He didn't eat much of the meal the hospital gave him, so he was grateful that I brought him something to eat. As we ate we watched some tv. It felt nice just spending time with Daniel, but I did wish that we were spending time at his house instead. I really hoped he got to leave this place soon, but I knew he needed to rest up. Plus the doctors were making sure he didn't have any internal bleeding or brain damage from from the attack. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind when my phone started buzzing. At first thought it was probably Jay or Ash, but when I checked I seen that it was an unknown number. "I'm gonna take this, I'll be right back okay?" I said as I slowly stood up. "Okay." He replied with a small smile. I walked out into the hallway and stood by the window at then end of the hall to talk. I didn't want to disturb the others. "Hello?" I said in a questioning tone. "Hi, um... my brother Eric gave me your number. I'm his sister... Emily." She said. From the sound of her voice I could tell she was nervous. "Um... hi. Did... is there something you'd like to tell me or talk about?" I replied. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to be honest. "Yes, actually there is something I wanna talk to you about. Eric told me he spoke to you about our sister's murder, and I think I have some information that might be valuable." She said.

My heart rate started racing, my hands started sweating, and a bit of anxiety filled my stomach. I couldn't help but wonder if this was our next big lead. 'Maybe we'll be able to find the real killer this time.' I thought as I felt my stomach drop a little. I told myself not to get too optimistic, because this information could lead to nothing. 'I should act like I'm still writing a report for unsolved murders. That way she'll be a lot more willing to open up.' I thought as I built up what I was going to say to her. "Okay, thanks for calling by the way. I appreciate that you're willing to share information with me on such a delicate subject." I said. As we talked I asked her a few innocent questions to see how she was doing and whatnot. I just needed to make small talk so I didn't seem suspicious. As she warmed up to me she started talking about her sister Elizabeth, and everything she said matched what her brother had said. She also mentioned how abusive Mark was as well as how sweet and wonderful Daniel was. "Her death effected us all, but it really took a massive toll on Daniel. He loved her with his whole heart. I actually feel very guilty for not staying in touch with him as does Eric." She said as we kept talking.

She stayed in this vein until she turned it around and talked about her personal grief. We talked for a while longer before I eventually asked her a few questions. I carefully lead up to asking if she had any suspensions on who could have killed her sister. "Well... everyone in the family thought Mark could have done it. Everyone in town including the police thought it was Daniel. But..." She said, trailing off. "But what?" I asked. I couldn't help but feel excited and a little nervous about what she was going to say to me. "During the funeral I kind of had suspicions on my boyfriend at the time, Chris Folk." She said. "Why?" I asked her curiously. "He was just on an insane mood swing. He'd be crying uncontrollably and then act like he had zero emotion at all to extreme anger. I was very afraid of him to be honest." She said. Eventually the two of them broke up due to those mood swings. But the point was that she thought Chris killed Elizabeth due to the way he was acting. "I don't have anything else on him other than that. Then again, I could just be over thinking or something." She said. The two of us talked for a little while longer before we said our goodbyes. I put my phone in my pocket just as it buzzed again.

Ash: Hey, we're on our way to visit Daniel.

Me: Okay. There's something I need to talk to you guys about once we get home.

Ash: Is it about Elizabeth's case?

Me: Yeah.

Ash: Did you find any information on a new lead?

Me: Maybe. I'm not quite sure though.

After we said our goodbyes I went back into Daniel's room where he was asleep. I hadn't realized it, but I was on the phone for about two and a half hours. I quietly walked over to his bed and gently ran a hand through his soft hair. Since he was sleeping I sat down in a chair and just thought about the Elizabeth Green case. Daniel opened his eyes. "Hey, I fell asleep didn't I?" He asked with a look that said he was sorry. "Yeah, but it's okay. I know you're tired due to all of the medication they have you on." I said with a small smile. At that moment Jay and Ash walked in, making Daniel smile. Both of them gently gave him a hug before signing the cast on his arm. The four of us talked, joked, and ate dinner together. Even though we were in a hospital we had a pretty good time. Plus we were doing our best to cheer Daniel up. Having to spend all day in a hospital isn't fun. We watched tv as well. Ash, Jay, and I basically stayed until visiting hours ended. It felt bad for leaving him there all alone, but I had to tell my friends about the information I received today. Especially since it could give us a new lead. While we were in the car we talked about how our days were. Not that I really did anything besides stay with Daniel.

Once we got home I told them what Emily had told me on the phone. "So, do you think that Chris Folk is the killer now?" Jay asked as he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, but it's worth looking into." I said, and Ash agreed. Unfortunately she couldn't join us in searching through Elizabeth's journals, because she had to go to work in the morning. So I brought the journals downstairs. Jay and I made a pot of coffee to keep us awake as we looked through them all. I wasn't sure that we would find anything, but I really hoped that we would. Hours passed as we combed through pages and pages of journal entries. My eyes felt sore and I was starting to feel tired as hell. Jay was already passed out on the couch next to me. I didn't even bother waking him up; I just put a blanket over him so he'd stay warm. I sat the journal I was looking through down on the coffee table as I rubbed my eyes. "Are we ever gonna find anything?" I mumbled quietly under my breath as I leaned back into the couch to rest my hurting back. I ended up marking my spot before taking the journals into my room. I would have taken them up to my office/art studio, but I was too tired to go upstairs.

I changed into my pajamas before climbing into bed; I slowly fell asleep due to how much my mind was working. Sometime during the early morning I woke up to use the bathroom. Then I went into the kitchen to get a drink of cold water. Silvery moonlight was shinning through the kitchen window, so it was easy to walk around without a flashlight. I stood and looked out of the window as I drank my drink. When I was finished I went back into my room and climbed into my bed. As I laid there I stared up at the ceiling as I thought of what Elizabeth's sister told me yesterday. 'Maybe the information she told me doesn't mean anything. Maybe I'm just hoping that Chris Folk is the killer because we were wrong about Mark.' I thought inside of my head as I turned to look towards the window in my room. My curtains blocked out the moonlight, but I could still tell it was bright outside. I ended up falling asleep for just a little while. I ended up waking up just as the sun started rising. After rubbing the sleep from my eyes I got out of bed and got ready for the day. I put on a pair of black jeans and one of Billie Eilish t-shirts. Then I stepped out into the kitchen where I started making breakfast. I knew Ash was already at work, and Jay was still sleeping.

I made a bowl of cereal to eat while I filled our kettle to make a hot cup of tea. Once the water was hot I filled my cup and went I to the living room to eat. I turned on the tv to watch the weather channel as I ate. I made sure to keep the volume low to make sure I didn't wake up Jay. Once I was finished I washed the dishes I used. After a while I shut the tv off and went into my room. I grabbed up the journals to take them up to my office. I needed to do some paintings as well. So I turned on some music as I did my work. I have a few customers who need their requested pictures in a few days. A couple of hours passed before my phone buzzed.

Jay: Hey, you up?

Me: Yeah, I'm in my art studio. What's up?

Jay: Nothing. I was just wondering if you were awake or not.

Jay: Are we going to look at those journals again today?

Me: Yeah we can look at them. I just have to finish some paintings first.

Jay: Okay.

He most likely got himself something for breakfast while I went back to work. By the time I was finished with my projects it was two o'clock. So I cleaned up and ate lunch. Then Jay and I finally got to looking at Elizabeth's journals again. As I was looking through the journal I stopped on last night, I almost dropped it. I quickly grabbed it and a page fell out of the back of it. It was folded, so when I picked it up I had to open it. Elizabeth's writing was on the sheet of paper. The date and year seemed to have been ripped off, but other than that the rest was intact.

I'm debating on telling my sister that her boyfriend made a pass at me yesterday. He said he had fallen in love with me, and he thought that I had fallen in love with him as well... like the two of us had some kind of deep connection. I was prepared to let him down gently, but then he started bad mouthing my fiancée Daniel. I love Daniel with all of my heart; there's no way I'd leave such a sweet, beautiful, and kind soul. Especially since he helped me heal. He helped me learn how to love again. Maybe I'll tell her when we go to lunch tomorrow. Or I could try to convince Chris to tell her that he doesn't wanna be in a relationship with her anymore. I'm just not sure what to do.

"What is that?" Jay asked curiously. "It's something that might point to Chris Folk being the killer." I said as I handed the page to him to let him read it. He read it a couple of times before he spoke up. "Should we show this to Joe?" He asked. I agreed, but I suggested that we should show it to Ash first just to see what her opinion was. Eventually Jay started making dinner. I really felt bad for not going to visit Daniel, but I had a lot to do today. So I went into my room and called him to see how he was doing. The two of us talked about how our days were. He got to walk around a bit but other than that he watched tv. I apologized to him for not going to see him, but he understood that I had work to do. We talked until dinner was ready. As we ate, Ash read the page I found; she said that Jay and I should go meet up with Joe. She has to work, so she wouldn't be able to see Joe with us. So after we finished eating I called him to see if he could meet Jay and I somewhere. He said he couldn't until three o'clock. We agreed to go to the diner just like the last time. I desperately hoped that we weren't wrong this time.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!! Happy New Year btw!!!! This is my first update for 2021!


	15. Back Home

Sage's POV:

Jay and I were a little nervous about going to meet up with Joe. Although we really didn't have to be nervous since we've talked to him before. But maybe it's because we hoped the information we had actually lead to something this time. The two of us were early, so we ordered something to eat for a late lunch. He ordered a hamburger with fries and a strawberry milkshake. I ended up getting breakfast with coffee. Our food arrived just as Joe joined us. We let him order something to eat before we started talking about the Elizabeth Green case once again. Although we talked about random stuff when the waitress came by to refill our drinks. We really didn't want anyone to know what we were actually discussing. The only good thing was that no one was sitting near us. I told Joe what Emily told me over the phone before showing him the page we found in one of Elizabeth's journals. He sat there for a few moments before actually speaking up. "This might convince some of my fellow officers to reopen the case. I'll just have to talk tot he right people about it though." He said, which made my mood improve. But I told myself not to get too hopeful. Especially since Chris Folk might not be the killer.

The only way could find out though is to look into him and his record. That is of he does have a police record. We left the diner with high hopes. "You wanna go see Daniel?" Jay asked after we were in the car. "Yeah, sure. I'm sure he'd appreciate a surprise visit." I replied with a smile. I was so glad that he wanted to visit him as well. When we got to the hospital he wasn't in his room; the nurse said he was on a walk through the halls. So we just sat down and waited for him to return. Once he saw us a huge smile spread across his handsome face. I couldn't help but smile in return. "Hey guys!" He said happily, which really warmed my heart. He gave Jay a hug first before giving me one. I snuggled into his chest, and he gently tightened his arms around me. His nurse helped him back into his bed where he got comfortable. We made small talk for a while just to see how he was feeling today. "So... when did they say you'd be getting out of the hospital?" Jay asked curiously. "I'll have to spend two more days in here before I can go home." He replied. "I'll spend a few weeks with you if you want, just to make sure you aren't over doing it." I said and a cute smile spread across his face. "I'd love to have you stay with me." He replied. I didn't want him to be all alone in his big home. Besides, he'd need someone to collect firewood and whatnot due to his broken arm.

Eventually we said our goodbyes. We left later than planned, so we picked up a pizza before heading home. Neither of us wanted to go home and make Ash cook after a long day of hard work. The three of us talked about what Joe had said as we ate. Then we watched some tv before playing some video games together. At midnight Jay and I finally decided to go to bed. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. A few days passed without a single word from Joe. All of us were a little worried if he managed to convince some of his co-workers to reopen the Elizabeth Green case.... again. I really really hoped that we were on the right track this time. "When you get to his place give me a call. I wanna make sure you guys made it there safely." Jay said as I finished eating breakfast. "I will." I replied before going to brush my teeth. He helped me carry my packed bags in my car. I had more stuff with me than usual just because I was staying longer away from home. Jay and I said our goodbyes before I got in the driver's seat and went on my way. I listened to some music during the drive to the hospital. Once I reached my destination, I went up to Daniel's room. We hugged before his doctor gave him some instructions on how to take care of his healing wounds. Then I gave him some clothes that I picked up for his place for him to change into.

After he got dressed we left the room and entered the elevator. "I'm so glad to get out of here. I'm so sick of eating the horrible food here. Plus... I've really missed spending days and nights with you." He said as he gave me a sweet hug. "I've missed that too." I replied as I hugged him back. We went to pick up his prescriptions before going to the store to pick up groceries. He chose to stay in the car since he was a little sleepy, plus he didn't want anyone to see him at the moment. I honestly didn't blame him. Since everyone here practically hates him they'd outwardly make fun of him. Hell, some would probably ask who had beaten him up. I got a bunch of meats, produce, eggs, bread, milk, etc. Everything that I know he probably needed to throw out once we got to his house. As I was paying for everything my mind started wondering about Joe and the case. 'Stop worrying about that right now. Daniel needs your attention.' I said inside of my head. I pressed my thoughts aside as I left the store. Daniel helped me put everything in the car even though I said he didn't have to. Then we headed on the long drive to his place. The two of us talked; as we did so I tried best to avoid talking about the investigation. All I wanted was for him to focus on is healing and getting better.

He helped me take everything inside once we reached his place. I started making a fire while he slowly started putting the groceries away. It was really cold since no one had been there for a while, and I wanted it to be warm inside before it was night time. So as the fire was burning I brought in some firewood as well. Then I went to help him put things away. "Are you hungry?" I asked once the work was finished. "Yeah, a little." He replied as his stomach let out a loud growl. We giggled a little before asking him what he wanted. He wanted a large breakfast, which wasn't really surprising. Especially since he hadn't been eating much at the hospital. I made him scrambled eggs, bacon, a has brown, and a couple of pancakes. I made a fresh pot of coffee as well. I made myself something to eat as well since I was a little hungry as well. The two of us sat at the table and ate together as we talked. He told me about his days at the hospital, which were interesting. Mostly when he spoke about the funny encounters with other patients. "I'm glad I'm home. Now I can sleep instead of being woken up almost every hour or so." He said with a little laugh. After we ate we went into the living room to warm up by the fire and watch tv. We snuggled into each other's side as well, which was really nice. I hadn't realized how much I missed this until now.

How much I missed being close to him. All of a sudden I remember that I promised to call Jay, so I quickly called him and returned to Daniel's side. "Did you tell him we made it here safely?" He asked me curiously. "Yeah." I replied with a small smile. Eventually his arm started hurting, so he took some of his medication. Then I started making us dinner. I told him he didn't have to help, so he just sat at the kitchen table and talked with me. It felt good to be spending time with him here at his place instead of visiting him at the hospital. We had privacy and it's much more comfortable here as well. As I made us some homemade soup I suddenly wondered what Joe was doing. I wondered if he got the chance to talk to his fellow officers. I really hoped that he had, or he was going to soon. "What are you thinking about?" He asked me as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. It was a pleasant surprise; it helped me get out of my thoughts and come back to reality. "Not much. Just some stuff Jay, Ash, and I were talking about a few days ago." I replied. "Oh." He replied as he gently tightened his arms around me. My insides warmed as he did so. I ended up turning around to hug him back.

I wanted him to feel warm inside too. "I'm so glad I have you in my life, Sage. I haven't met someone as sweet as you since...." He trailed off and was quiet for a little while before he spoke up again. "Since I met Elizabeth." He whispered. We slightly broke our hug and he rested his forehead against mine. I instinctively closed my eyes. "You aren't a reincarnation of her.... are you?" He asked softly. "No. I mean... I don't think I am." I replied softly as well. When I opened my eyes I saw him open his eyes as well. We tightened our hug again and I snuggled my head in his chest. My heart was so full in that moment. I felt safe and warm as well. After a while we slowly broke the hug; I went back to cooking the pot of soup that was sitting on the stove. Once the foods was done we filled our bowls and sat at the kitchen table. As we ate we talked for a little while. He asked me about my friends even though he had seen them during our visits to the hospital to see him. When we were finished eating I washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. The phone started ringing, so I dried my hands before answering it. "Hello?" I said in a questioning tone.

"Hey, is this Sage or Daniel?" I heard Ash ask on the other end of the line. "It's me." I replied. "Okay, good. I wanted to let you know that Joe called us. He said he had been trying to reach you but you weren't answering your phone." She said. "That's the curse of not having cell service up here," I said with a little laugh. "What did he say?" I asked. "He said he talked to a couple of his friends in the police department. He thinks if he can convince one more person then he can get the case reopened." She replied with a little bit of excitement in her voice. The two of us talked about what Joe had told her. I was feeling really excited because it sounded like he was actually going to get the police department to investigate this case again. I just hoped that they didn't wanna ignore the evidence on Chris Folk and start looking at Daniel again. Ash and I said our goodbyes after a while. When I walked into the living room I saw Daniel asleep on the couch. The tv was on, but the volume was low. He was particularly covered up in a soft blanket as well. I walked over and slowly sat down next him. I pulled the blanket closer around him; I covered myself up as well. When I started feeling sleepy I gently woke him up.

I made sure that the fire was well stalked up with wood to keep the house warm. Then we went upstairs to get ready for bed. "Can we sleep next to each other tonight? I've really missed your cuddles." He said adorably. "Of course. I've missed your cuddles as well." I replied with a smile. We went into his bedroom and climbed into his bed. I snuggled against him once we covered up. It didn't take me long to fall asleep in his arms.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!!


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